Around  the  world 


EDWARD    C.    HORN 


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E.   C.  Horn. 


Around  the  World 

A    NARRATIVE    OF   A 

TOUR  OF  THE  EARTH 

SETTING   FORTH   THE 

EXPERIENCES  OF  ONE  WHO  RECENTLY  MADE 
THE  TRIP  ALONE 

With  Historical  and  Descriptive  Data 

By 

EDWARD   C.    HORN 

Pastor  of  Trinity  M.  E.  Church,  Grand  Island,  Nebraska 

Formerly  Instructor  in  the  U.  S.  Grant  University,  Athens,  Tennessee,  and 
in  the  De  Pauw  University,  Greencastle,  Indiana 

Author  of  "The  Mazes  and  Marvels  of  Wind  Cave,"  Etc. 


^llustrateto 


CINCINNATI 
PRESS    OF    JENNINGS    AND    PYE 


Copyright,  1904,  by 
Edward  C.  Horn 


"  For  not  to  any  race  or  any  clime 

Is  the  completed  sphere  of  life  revealed ; 
He  who  would  make  his  own  that  round  sublime, 
Must  pitch  his  tent  on  many  a  distant  fields 


INTRODUCTION. 

The  experiences  related  in  these  chapters,  with  few- 
exceptions,  were  reduced  to  paper  the  day  they  occurred. 
Historical  matter  presented  herein  was  gathered  from  all 
available  sources,  credit  being  given  by  reference  to  vol- 
ume and  page  for  most  excerpts.  The  author  is  under 
special  obligation  to  the  following  for  assistance  ren- 
dered :  Guides  of  F.  C.  Clark,  Macmillan,  Henry  Gaze 
&  Son,  and  Thos.  Cook  &  Son ;  also  to  Dr.  Andrew  Gray 
for  copies  of  some  electrotypes  used  in  illustrating  his 
"Pilgrimage  to  Bible  Lands."  The  consecrated  mission- 
aries of  Japan,  China,  the  Philippines,  Maylasia,  India, 
Egypt,  and  Turkey  will  be  held  in  lasting  remembrance 
for  their  many  untold  kindnesses  extended,  punctuating 
an  otherwise  weary  pilgrimage  with  oases  of  interest. 

Being  under  exclusive  contract  with  the  Alliance  Her- 
ald as  its  "Around  the  World"  represenative,  numerous 
courtesies  were  extended  by  the  press,  by  our  consuls, 
and  by  the  officials  of  transportation  lines  throughout 
the  thirty-thousand-mile  journey,  space  forbidding  in- 
dividual mention.  E.  C.  H. 


CONTENTS 


Chapter  Page 

I.   Crossing  the  Continent,         -  -               1 1 

II.    San  Francisco  to  Vancouver,  -        -           28 

III.  Crossing  the  Pacific,               -  -               36 

IV.  Japan,      -         -                           -  -         -            52 
V.    China,          -                                   -  -        -       80 

VI.    China — The  International  Puzzle,  92 

VII.    The  Philippines,       -  -     104 

VIII.    China  Revisited,  -        -          121 

IX.    Hong-Kong  to  Ceylon,    -  -        -     130 

X.    Colombo  to  Calcutta,          -  -        -         150 

XI.    India,  -        -  ....     ^1 

XII.   Calcutta  to  Lucknow,         -  -        -         169 

XIII.  Lucknow  to  Delhi,           -        -  -        -     183 

XIV.  Delhi  to  Bombay,          -  195 

XV.    Bombay  to  Port  Said,       -         -  -     205 

7 


8  Contents. 

Chapter  Page 

XVI.    Egypt,       -  -        -     218 

XVII.    Seven  Hundred  and  Fifty  Miles 

Up  the  Nile,                   -  -        -         237 

XVIII.   Cairo  to  Jerusalem,      -  -     248 

XIX.   Jerusalem — The  Holy  City,  -                 259 

XX.   Jerusalem  to  Jericho  and 

Bethlehem,                         -  -        -     286 

XXI.   Jerusalem  to  the  Sea  of  Galilee,         296 

XXII.   Nazareth  to  Damascus,  -     312 

XXIII.  Damascus  to  Athens,  '-         325 

XXIV.  Athens  to  Rome,   -  -     332 
XXV.    Rome  to  London,                 -  338 

XXVI.    Crossing  the  Atlantic,        -  -        -     346 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 

Portrait  op  Author,   -        -         -       Frontispiece. 

Facing  page 

Jinriksha,  Tokio,  Japan,  -  -  56 

Aboard  the  Begging  Elephant,  Madura,  India,  154 

A  Bengali  Child-Mother,  India,  -  -         166 

The  Taj  Mahal,  Agra,  India,     -  -        -    186 

Half-way  up  the  Great  Pyramid,  -         220 

On  the  Great  Sahara,  -        -        -    228 

The  Sphinx,  or  "Father  of  Terrors,"  with 

Pyramids  in  the  Background,     -  230 

Jerusalem,     -  ...  .    258 

The  Garden  of  Gethsemane,  -         266 

The  Church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre,  Jeru- 
salem, -        -        -  -  -    272 

The  Holy  Sepulchre,     -  274 

The  Mosque  of  Omar,  on  Site  of  Solomon's 

Temple,  Jerusalem,  -----    278 

Russian    Greek    Church    on    the    Mount    of 

Olives,     -----  -        284 

The  Grotto  of  the  Nativity,  Bethlehem,     -    292 

Nazareth,  -----  -        300 

The  Acropolis,  Athens,  Greece,  -    328 

9 


AROUND  THE  WORLD. 

I. 

CROSSING   THE   CONTINENT. 

THE  JOURNEY  BEGUN. — VIA  DENVER  ;  ROYAL  GORGE. CAN- 
YON   OF   THE   GRAND. — SALT    LAKE    TO    SAN    FRANCISCO. 

From  the  copper-toed  days  of  my  boyhood,  tales  of 
travel  have  been  the  very  soul  of  fascination  to  my  ven- 
turesome spirit.  Having-  read  all  the  books  on  travel 
available  within  a  considerable  radius  from  my  Ohio 
home,  I  sought  interviews  with  every  man  I  could  reach 
who  had  crossed  any  State  line,  or  could  relate  thrilling 
stories  of  adventure  on  the  part  of  others.  My  curiosity  to 
know  more  of  the  world  was  augmented  by  the  recital 
of  weird  stories  by  an  old  Mexican  soldier  who  visited 
us  about  the  time  of  my  graduation  from  the  First  to  the 
Second  Reader.  His  renditions  produced  in  me  a  long- 
ing similar  to  that  possessed  by  the  poet  who  wrote : 

"O  for  an  old  gray  traveler 

By  our  winter  fire  to  be, 
To  tell  us  of  each  foreign  shore, 
Of  sunny  seas,  and  mountains  hoar, 

Which  we  can  never  see! 

And  O,  that  such  old  man  were  here, 

With  his  wise  and  traveled  look, 
With  thought  like  deep  exhaustless  springs, 
And  memory-  full  of  wondrous  things, 

Like  a  glorious  picture-book  !" 
ii 


12  Around  the  World. 

As  nothing  short  of  a  tour  of  the  earth  offered  me 
any  degree  of  satisfaction,  I  decided  to  attempt  the  task 
regardless  of  the  expense  and  other  difficulties  which 
towered  before  me. 

Consequently  the  successful  carrying  forward  of  my 
plans  made  it  possible  for  me  to  bid  farewell  to  Alli- 
ance at  3.40  Thursday  morning,  October  16th,  while 
Victor  was  sleeping  soundly  unconscious  of  the  fact  that 
his  papa  was  kissing  him  good-bye  and  beginning  the 
largest  undertaking  in  the  realm  of  travel  possible  to 
man  without  embarking  upon  that  better  journey  lead- 
ing to  a  country  whence  no  traveler  returns. 

The  young  wife  evinced  bravery  by  withstanding  the 
avalanche  of  tears  due  to  be  observed  on  such  an  occasion. 
She  was  cognizant  of  the  danger  confronting  me;  but 
her  noble  Christian  life  and  devotion  to  the  God  she 
serves,  long  ago  taught  her  that  my  trust  was  in  the  God 
of  the  psalmist — a  God  which  doeth  all  things  well,  though 
at  times  our  shortsightedness  fails  to  penetrate  beyond 
the  overhanging  clouds  of  gloom  which  often  encompass 
our  horizon. 

"  If  I  take  the  wings  of  the  morning, 
And  dwell  in  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  sea; 
Even  there  shall  Thy  hand  lead  me, 
And  Thy  right  hand  shall  hold  me." 

The  ride  into  Colorado  was  without  incident,  with 
the  following  exceptions:  The  train  was  two  hours  be- 
hind time,  and  contained  a  bridal  party  which  was  forced 
to  endure  much  additional  pandemonium  at  the  hands 
of  the  Alliance  youths  on  account  of  the  lateness  of  the 
train.  Approaching  Denver,  the  sun,  rising  toward  its 
meridian  height,  darted  its  rays  athwart  the  snow-capped 
Rockies  and  kissed  them  into  glistening  splendor.  The 
passengers  crowd  to  the  right  side  of  the  car  to  behold 


Crossing  the  Continent.  13 

the  majestic  snowdrifts  piercing  the  very  heavens  with 
their  snow-crested  summits.  There  is  Pike's  Peak,  eighty 
miles  to  the  southward,  rising  as  a  giant  guardian  of  the 
white  flock,  basking  in  perpetual  rest,  with  its  topmost 
rock  14,147  feet  above  sea-level.  Yet  it  is  not  the  highest 
of  the  Rocky  family,  there  being  twenty-five  other  peaks 
that  rival  it  in  height.  Divorced  from  its  grand  moun- 
tain scenery,  Denver  takes  high  rank  as  a  city.  I  shall 
not  attempt  to  describe  its  numerous  institutions  of  note, 
its  smelters,  wholesale  houses,  factories,  colleges,  churches, 
and  sanitariums.  One  person  has  named  Denver  the  "City 
of  Consumptives,"  because  of  the  multitude  of  consump- 
tives who  come  here  for  relief. 

Those  whose  time  is  limited  can  cover  this  city  of 
one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  souls  reasonably  well  in  a 
few  hours'  ride  on  the  special  car  ealled  "Seeing  Denver," 
which  leaves  the  union  depot  on  Seventeenth  Street  daily 
at  two  o'clock  for  the  grand  tour  of  the  city.  The  circuit 
covers  twenty-five  miles,  and  the  charge  is  twenty- 
five  cents.  A  lecturer  accompanies  the  car  and  points  out 
objects  of  interest,  giving,  in  addition  thereto,  a  very  good 
description  of  that  which  is  most  noteworthy. 

Leaving  Denver  via  the  Rio  Grande  Railroad,  the 
route  leads  southward  along  the  Rocky  Mountain  foothills, 
in  plain  view,  however,  of  many  towering  peaks.  This 
line  is  very  properly  called  "the  scenic  line  of  the  world." 

Passing  Palmer  Lake,  Colorado  Springs  is  reached, 
where  nature  grows  wild,  as  evinced  in  the  Garden  of 
the  Gods.  Here  strange  freaks  of  nature's  handicraft 
present  to  the  tourist  much  that  is  quaint  as  well  as  gro- 
tesque, causing  speculation  as  to  how  the  formations  were 
produced. 

Not  less  than  fourteen  hundred  feet  up  the  side  of 
Pike's  Peak  is  the  Cave  of  the  Winds,  a  wonder  which  is 


14  Around  the  World. 

the  pride  of  Colorado,  but  a  curiosity  that  becomes  a 
dwarf  when  compared  with  Wind  Cave  of  South  Da- 
kota. I  told  the  guide  he  would  be  ready  to  change  his 
adjectives  used  in  his  description  as  soon  as  his  eyes 
beheld  the  most  noteworthy  cave  in  America,  the  northern 
wonder.  From  Pike's  Peak  the  view  is  never  to  be  for- 
gotten. The  Rockies  seem  to  roll  away  like  the  waves  of 
an  angry  ocean,  with  whitecaps  stationary  and  white- 
caps  rolling  in  the  form  of  clouds,  as  if  hurrying  to  some 
distant  place  of  rest. 

The  next  point  en  route  westward  is  Pueblo,  the  Pitts- 
burg of  the  West,  so  called  on  account  of  its  numerous 
smelters,  iron  and  steel  works  stretching  along  the  Ar- 
kansas River.  Having  run  over  one  hundred  miles  south- 
ward from  Denver,  in  order  to  break  through  the  moun- 
tains, the  track  now  turns  to  the  westward,  follows  the 
canyon  of  the  Arkansas,  thence  over  the  Great  Divide 
into  the  Canyon  of  the  Grand,  and  on  over  the  Wasatch 
Mountains  into  the  Utah  Valley. 

For  a  considerable  distance  the  road  threads  its 
crooked  way  along  the  Arkansas,  where  the  walls  tower 
on  either  side  more  than  three  thousand  feet.  This  is 
called  the  Royal  Gorge,  and  here  it  is  that  the  genius 
of  the  builder  scores  its  highest  triumph.  Here  the  word- 
painter  excuses  himself,  and  says,  "Let  nature  alone  in  her 
vastness."  But  what  if  a  bowlder  should  become  loosened 
and  come  crashing  down  from  yonder  craggy  height  of 
more  than  half  a  mile  ?  A  bowlder  falling  from  such 
a  dizzy  height  would  crush  a  locomotive  to  worse  than 
a  scrap-heap.  One  is  thrilled  and  chilled  as  he  contem- 
plates the  vasteness  of  this  deep,  rock-riven,  river-encom- 
passed gorge.  But  why  not  let  the  river  have  full  posses- 
sion, and  not  disturb  its  plaintive  murmur  by  introducing 
the    loud-screeching,    panting,    and    puffing    locomotive? 


Crossing  the  Continent.  k 

Such  would  have  been  well,  but  not  the  best.  And  now 
not  only  the  Denver  and  Rio  Grande  follows  this  natural 
thoroughfare,  but  the  Colorado  Southern  also  uses  a  part 
of  this  vale  as  an  outlet  toward  the  land  of  the  setting  sun. 
The  day  I  made  the  journey  the  trains  of  both  roads  were 
very  late  and  by  some  unknown  cause  two  splendid  passen- 
ger trains  were  making  their  way  side  by  side.  Now  the 
opportunity  was  given  for  a  race.  Each  road  had  boasted 
of  its  ability  to  make  the  best  time.  Here  was  a  chance. 
The  engineers  saw  the  opportunity.  The  firemen  worked 
like  Titans,  heaving  coal  that  the  engines  might  do  their 
utmost.  The  iron  horses  puffed,  straining  every  nerve 
and  muscle ;  the  passengers  filled  the  windows  of  the 
respective  trains ;  handkerchiefs  waved  in  the  air  to  en- 
courage the  enginemen,  who  glanced  back  now  and  then 
to  see  if  their  trains  were  coming ;  mail  clerks  noticed  the 
situation,  and  each  wished  for  the  success  of  his  own 
train.  It  was  a  race.  The  trains  flew  ahead.  Sharp 
curves  were  rounded  ;  tunnels  were  threaded ;  steep  grades 
were  ascended ;  now  one  train  was  away  below,  only  a  few 
feet  from  the  angrily-roaring  river ;  the  next  few  minutes 
witnessed  the  same  train  crawling  its  serpentine  way  far 
up  the  mountain-side,  half  hidden  from  view  by  the  rolling 
smoke  of  the  two  iron  steeds,  which  poured  forth 
black  clouds  that  now  and  then  coming  quite  close 
to  each  other,  seemed  to  join  into  one  mass  and  darken 
the  race-course.  Brave  hearts,  which  had  exulted  until 
now,  swooned  when,  at  an  unexpected  moment,  the  Col- 
orado Southern  train  seemed  to  leap  the  track  and  plunge 
squarely  at  our  train.  But  recovery  was  complete  when 
it  was  noticed  that  the  other  track  led  directly  over  our 
track,  and,  instead  of  plunging  into  our  train,  the  engine 
crossed  directly  over  the  car  in  which  I  was  sitting,  and 
sped  on,  having  tied  our  train  for  the  honors,    Thereupon 


1 6  Around  the  World. 

our  conductor  manifested  regret  because  our  engineer  did 
not  win  the  race,  saying:  "If  we  should  have  had  any 
other  engineer  on  the  road  at  our  engine,  we  would  have 
taken  the  lead,  as  our  huge  compound  engine  can  outrun 
anything  on  the  other  road,  even  if  we  have  the  heavier 
train  by  three  sleepers  and  a  diner."  I  was  glad  we  had 
that  very  engineer,  for  a  mountain  pass,  with  a  river 
below  and  towering  mountains  above,  is  not  an  ideal  place 
for  speeding  a  vestibuled  train  of  human  freight. 

The  poet  Ferguson  pays  the  following  poetic  tribute 
to  the  Royal  Gorge : 

"  In  the  Royal  Gorge  I  stand, 

With  its  mountain  forms  around  me, 
With  infinity  behind  me  and  infinity  before ; 

Cliff  and  chasm  on  every  hand, 

Peaks  and  pinnacles  surround  me ; 
At  my  feet  the  river  rushes  with  its  never-ceasing  roar. 

O,  the  Power  that  piled  these  wonders, 

As  the  mountains  took  their  station, 
As  the  great  red  belt  rose  upward  in  a  glittering  zone  of  fire. 

O,  the  crash  of  blended  thunders 

Shaking  earth  to  its  foundation, 
As  each  struggling  cliff  rose  upward,  climbing  higher,  ever  higher. 

O,  the  crashing  and  the  groaning, 
And  the  deep  an  awful  shudder 
As  that  great  red  belt  was  parted  and  the  mountains  crashed  in 
twain  ; 
And  the  Arkansas  came  roaring, 
Raging  with  its  dreadful  thunder, 
Sweeping  through  the  mighty  chasm  dashing  madly  towards  the 
main. 

O,  this  myriad-crested  canyon, 

With  its  walls  of  massive  marble, 
With  the  granite  and  red  sandstone  piled  in  peaks  that  pierce  the 
sky; 

Where  no  bird  dare  dip  its  pinion 

In  the  narrow  veil  of  azure, 
Where  the  solemn  shadows  linger  o'er  the  river  rolling  by. 


Crossing  the  Continent.  17 

Mortal !  ere  you  enter  here, 

Pause  and  bare  thy  brow  before  Him, — 
You  are  entering  a  temple  which  the  Mighty  One  did  rear. 

Put  thy  shoes  from  off  thy  feet, 

And  with  sacred  awe  adore  him, — 
Throned  in  awful  might  and  majesty,  the  Great  One  dwelleth  here.' 

As  we  approached  the  summit  of  the  Rockies  the  air 
became  more  rare,  and,  with  many,  breathing  became 
difficult.  One  portly  man  afflicted  with  asthma  was  al- 
most overcome.  In  fact,  at  one  time  he  was  pronounced 
beyond  hope  of  recovery,  and  it  was  even  announced  by 
the  physician  that  he  was  dead ;  but  behold  him  recover 
as  the  descent  was  being  made,  and  a  real  man  remains  as 
a  subject  snatched  almost  from  the  hands  of  the  under- 
taker. 

Much  there  is  on  a  mountain  journey  to  interest,  much 
to  call  forth  expressions  of  surprise  and  appreciation. 

The  geologist  may  here  revel  in  glee  as  he  observes 
unmistakable  evidences  of  the  earth's  formation  and  age. 
As  the  train  enters  the  Canyon  of  the  Grand  River,  one 
can  do  little  else  than  remain  quiet  and  drink  in  as  much 
beauty  as  his  little  cup  will  hold,  and  then  close  his  eyes 
because  of  his  inability  to  comprehend  the  scene. 

Mr.  Warman  paid  the  following  poetic  tribute  to  the 
Canyon  of  the  Grand  : 

"  When  I  rhyme  about  the  river, — the  laughing,  limpid  stream, 
Whose  ripples  seem  to  shiver  as  they  glide  and  glow  and  gleam ; 
Of  the  waves  that  beat  the  bowlders  that  are   strewn  upon  the 

strand. — 
You  will  recognize  the  river  in  the  Canyon  of  the  Grand. 

When  I  write  about  the  mountains  with  their  heads  so  high  and 

hoar, 
Of  cliffs  and  craggy  can}-ons  where  the  waters  rush  and  roar ; 
When  I  speak  about  the  the  hills  that  rise  so  high  on  either  hand. 
You  recognize  the  rock-work  in  the  Canyon  of  the  Grand. 
2 


1 8  Around  the  World. 

God  was  good  to  make  the  mountains,  the  valleys,  and  the  hills, 
Put  the  rose  upon  the  cactus  and  the  ripple  on  the  rills ; 
But  if  I  had  all  the  words  of  all  the  world  at  my  command, 
I  could  n't  paint  a  picture  of  the  Canyon  of  the  Grand." 

Passing  many  points  of  interest,  let  us  pass  over  the 
less  elevated  Wasatch  range  and  enter  Salt  Lake  City,  the 
City  of  the  Saints.  This  city  is  known  the  world  over  on 
account  of  its  being  the  Zion  of  Mormonism.  Converts 
to  the  faith  from  nearly  every  nation  flock  here  to  spend 
their  last  days  at  this  Mecca.  On  Sunday  afternoon 
I  joined  the  throng  that  hurried  to  the  great  turtle-shaped 
tabernacle  erected  by  Brigham  Young,  and  heard  two  ser- 
mons, supposed  to  set  forth  the  excellencies  of  Mormon- 
ism, but  which,  in  my  opinion,  were  very  weak  utterances 
of  the  most  trivial  trash.  The  first  speaker  said  he 
had  been  a  Mormon  for  fifty  years ;  but  the  number  of 
wives  he  had  domiciled  during  that  time  and  still  lived, 
he  neglected  to  state.  He  was  baldheaded  as  a  broom - 
handle ;  his  mustache  was  as  gray  as  the  frosts  of  Green- 
land's icy  shores ;  yet  he  was  very  presentable,  and  no 
doubt  had  been  the  center  of  affection  of  many  a  blooming 
maiden  who  was  willing  to  show  her  unselfishness  by  shar- 
ing the  queenly  position  of  wifehood  with  as  many  other 
heroines  as  his  fancy  and  purse  might  attract  within  his 
threshold.  He  tried  to  persuade  his  auditors,  numbering 
about  eight  thousand,  that  Mormonism  is  a  Divine  institu- 
tion, because  when  their  crops  fifty  years  ago  were  about 
to  be  destroyed  by  crickets,  the  Father  send  gulls  to 
destroy  the  pesky  crickets,  and  the  crop  was  saved.  His 
reasoning  was  lame.  Those  identical  gulls  also  ate  the 
crickets  that  molested  the  grazing  grounds  of  the  Indians 
who  were  after  Mormon  scalps ;  hence,  according  to  the 
speaker's  own  logic,  the  savagery  of  the  Indians  must 
have  been  Divinely  appointed  and  maintained  because  of 
the  mission  of  the  gulls. 


Crossing  the  Continent.  io 

The  second  speaker's  story  was  as  faulty  as  that  of 
the  first  speaker.  The  story  of  either  held  water  about 
like  a  fish-net.  The  main  point  set  forth  by  the  latter  and 
younger  Cicero  of  the  platform  was,  that  the  Mormon 
revelation  was  up-to-date,  having  come  to  earth  a  little 
more  than  fifty  years  ago  through  Joseph  Smith,  ct  al. 
Joseph  Smith  and  Brigham  Young  were  pictured  as 
angels  shorn  of  their  wings.  He  did  not  refer  to  Brigham 
Young's  multitudinous  wives  as  angelesses,  because  the 
least  imaginative  mind  has  no  difficulty  in  observing  the 
Bee-hive  in  a  turmoil  as  the  pillow  fights  between  favorite 
wives  filled  the  air  with  the  downy  white  of  birds  slaugh- 
tered to  feed  the  preacher-apostle,  who,  no  doubt,  went 
into  hiding  at  the  outset  of  each  fracas  to  avoid  sitting 
as  a  board  of  arbitration  to  decide  upon  the  merits  of 
the  case. 

Whatever  is  said  in  criticism  of  Mormonism,  and 
a  bookful  can  be  marshalled  against  it,  it  neverthe- 
less remains  true  that  some  things  may  be  said  in  its 
favor.  It  has  been  the  chief  agent  in  transforming  a 
desert  wild  into  a  beautiful  city  of  sixty-five  thousand 
souls. 

Salt  Lake  City,  the  child  of  Mormonism,  has  one  hun- 
dred miles  of  streets,  each  one  hundred  and  thirty-two  feet 
wide,  and  the  blocks  are  six  hundred  and  sixty  feet  square. 
In  the  heart  of  the  city  stands  the  temple,  built  at  a  cost 
of  $5,000,000.  Its  towers  and  minarets  rise  two  hundred 
and  fifteen  feet  above  the  ground,  and  can  be  seen  for 
miles.  None  but  the  elect  are  permitted  to  enter  the  tem- 
ple, and  it  is  thought  that  some  are  curious  enough  to 
accept  the  faith  in  order  to  get  a  glimpse  of  the  interior 
of  that  stately  temple.  The  turtle-shaped  tabernacle,  ac- 
commodating ten  thousand  people,  is  only  a  few  rods  dis- 
tant, and  is  pronounced  one  of  the  most  unique  structures 


20  Around  the  World. 

in  America.  In  company  with  a  friend,  I  visited  the  taber- 
nacle before  the  hour  for  service,  and  though  it  is  two 
hundred  and  fifty  feet  long,  a  pin  dropped  by  the  side  of 
the  great  organ  could  be  heard  distinctly  in  the  rear  of 
the  room.  Its  acoustic  properties  are  said  to  be  unequaled 
anywhere.  The  pipe  organ  contains  five  thousand  five 
hundred  pipes  and  cost  $115,000,  being  the  second  struct- 
ure in  value  in  the  world.  A  chorus  of  five  hundred 
voices  sings  at  each  service,  offering  a  drawing  card  to 
the  lost  to  come  and  hear  the  truth  according  to  Joseph 
Smith. 

About  sixteen  miles  from  Salt  Lake  City  is  the  Great 
Salt  Lake,  one  hundred  miles  long  and  sixty  wide,  and 
four  thousand  two  hundred  and  eighteen  feet  above  sea- 
level.  "Salt  Air,"  a  mammoth  bathing  pavilion,  has  been 
constructed  about  two  thousand  feet  from  shore  at  a 
cost  of  $350,000,  including  the  electric-light  plant.  This 
structure  has  the  reputation  of  being  unsurpassed  in  the 
wide  world. 

Bathing  here  is  a  luxury.  One  may  float  to  his  heart's 
content,  for  it  is  impossible  to  sink.  The  water  is  heavily 
charged  with  salt,  and  when  once  tasted  will  never  be  for- 
gotten. The  lake  is  ten  feet  lower  than  it  has  been  known 
for  years.  Old  settlers  are  authority  for  the  statement 
that  it  rises  and  recedes  once  in  seventeen  years.  It  is 
now  at  low  tide,  a  condition  which  forces  bathers  to  walk 
about  half  a  mile  to  deep  water,  whereas  formerly  one 
could  leap  from  the  grand  pavilion  into  seven  feet  of 
water. 

Having  become  acquainted  with  Salt  Lake  City,  we 
again  turn  westward,  eager  to  reach  the  Golden  Gate. 
Crossing  Nevada  is  as  uninteresting  as  the  lack  of  vege- 
tation is  complete.  Sand  dunes  greet  the  eye  at  every 
turn,  compared  with  which  the  sand  hills  of  Nebraska, 


Crossing  the  Continent.  21 

covered  with  verdant  pasturage,  are  a  paradise.  Hun- 
dreds of  miles  may  be  traveled  in  this  dreary,  forsaken 
waste  without  sighting-  a  living  creature,  other  than  the 
section  crew  and  operators,  who  are  here  as  hermits, 
making  it  possible  for  a  railroad  to  tie  the  Atlantic  and 
Pacific  together  in  bonds  of  steel.  But  this  barrenness  is 
not  to  last  always.  With  the  eye  of  faith,  I  can  see  the 
East  densely  populated,  and  the  young  men  and  women 
covenanting  to  begin  life  together  for  better  or  for  worse. 
With  brave  hearts,  and  a  strong  desire  to  have  a  home 
of  their  own,  they  press  on  beyond  Pike's  Peak  and  the 
Rockies  to  this  land  where  one  may  become  monarch  of 
all  he  surveys.  The  pioneer  is  a  hero  upon  whom  the 
blessing  of  the  Most  High  rests ;  for  Omnipotence  is 
proud  of  the  brave,  and  a  splendid  carpet  will  be  prepared 
by  Him  and  spread  over  the  land,  upon  which  the  united 
hearts  may  find  a  domicile,  and  the  cattle,  horses,  and 
sheep  find  that  which  their  hunger  craves. 

After  weary  hours  of  sameness  in  landscape,  a  treat 
is  offered  as  the  train  enters  the  Sierra  Nevada  Mountains. 
The  transformation  is  like  unto  leaving  a  penitentiary 
for  an  art  gallery.  The  Sierras,  covered  with  a  dense 
growth  of  pines,  shrubbery,  etc.,  are  more  beautiful  than 
the  Rockies,  though  less  awe-inspiring.  If  the  Rockies 
are  more  colossal,  the  Sierras  are  more  symmetrical. 

The  Rockies  stand  as  Titans,  giant  guardians  of  the 
heavens,  while  the  Sierras  are  thankful  for  the  oppor- 
tunity of  looking  down  upon  the  peaceful  Pacific,  and  of 
hiding  behind  a  veil  of  mist  wherever  the  ocean  madly 
beats  the  shore,  lashing  the  rocks  with  white  caps  which 
have  no  breakers  to  check  their  course. 

No  one  need  be  told  that  California  is  reached.  It  can 
not  keep  the  secret,  and  tells  that  it  is  king  of  the  West 
by  using  a  language  decidedly  its  own. 


22  Around  the  World. 

Ordinary  adjectives  are  useless  in  preparing  a  dis- 
tant reader  to  properly  comprehend  California.  To  state 
that  this  State  has  the  largest  apple  orchard  in  the  world 
is  not  sufficient  to  convey  an  exact  idea  of  its  vastness. 
But  the  wonders  of  the  State  being  so  unlike  those  found 
elsewhere,  one  is  handicapped  in  his  every  attempt  to 
make  comparisons.  Maine  is  not  a  small  State.  But  for 
the  sake  of  comparison  let  us  use  it : 

Add  to  Maine  the  States  of  New  Hampshire,  Vermont, 
Connecticut,  Massachusetts,  Rhode  Island,  New  Jersey, 
Delaware,  Maryland,  and  New  York,  and  thoses  States 
combined  could  be  covered  by  California,  and  there  would 
be  enough  of  California  unused  to  make  a  playground  for 
all  the  children  of  Utah. 

With  a  climate  that  approximates  the  ideal,  Califor- 
nia, with  its  splendid  soil,  has  little  to  be  desired.  Only 
one  genuine  snowstorm  is  on  record,  the  date  being  De- 
cember 31,  1882;  the  snow  piled  up  to  the  enormous 
height  of  three  inches  and  lasted  scarcely  one  day. 
Where  oranges  and  lemons  are  harvested  in  February  and 
March,  it  is  evident  that  even  a  freeze  would  be  disastrous. 

This  large  State  is  noted  for  doing  things  on  a  large 
scale.  For  instance :  a  squash  has  been  on  exhibition 
weighing  two  hundred  and  eighty-three  pounds,  having 
a  diameter  of  four  feet.  A  sweet-potato  weighing  over 
forty-four  pounds  is  the  pride  of  Fresno.  An  Irish-potato 
measured  forty-six  inches  in  length  and  weighed  thir- 
teen pounds. 

Los  Angeles  County  produced  a  corn  stalk  measuring 
thirty-six  feet  in  height. 

Orange  County  has  a  watermelon  weighing  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  pounds,  and  is  three  feet,  six  inches  long, 
and  four  feet,  nine  inches  in  circumference. 


Crossing  the  Continent.  23 

A  nugget  of  gold,  the  largest  ever  found  in  the  United 
States,  came  from  Calaveras  County,  and  weighed  one 
hundred  and  ninety-five  pounds,  valued  at  $43,534. 

To  state  that  the  people  live  well  here  is  to  state  the 
case  mildly.  My  diagnosis  causes  me  to  assert  that  the 
poorest  live  in  luxury.  The  average  annual  income  of  the 
farmers  in  one  county  is  $3,000.  With  such  an  income, 
nothing  is  too  distant  to  be  secured,  and  money  will  buy 
almost  anything  except  happiness.  From  this  port  vessels 
sail  for  the  four  corners  of  the  earth,  and  bring  back 
whatever  the  industrious  merchantmen  think  the  Califor- 
nian  may  relish. 

Yesterday  I  visited  the  Coptic,  a  passenger  vessel 
bound  for  Yokohama  and  Hong-Kong.  It  is  more  than 
four  hundred  feet  long,  and  second  only  in  size  to  the 
vessel  upon  which  I  am  to  sail  from  Vancouver,  British 
Columbia,  for  Yokohama. 

It  was  sad  to  see  mothers  weeping  as  good-byes  to 
children  and  friends  were  said  prior  to  the  moment  of 
departure.  Many  a  person  was  covered  with  flowers 
brought  to  the  wharf  by  loving  hands.  It  caused  me  to 
think  of  my  own  case,  as  I  will  be  boarding  the  steel 
twin-screw  palace,  the  Empress  of  Japan,  and  have  no 
one  to  whom  a  parting  good-bye  can  be  spoken,  and  re- 
ceive back  friendly  tokens  of  sympathy  and  kindness, 
as  the  plunge  into  the  mists  of  a  fourteen-day  voyage 
is  made. 

I  took  two  snap-shots  at  the  Coptic,  one  while  on 
board,  and  one  facing  the  prow.  She  sailed  out  of  the 
Golden  Gate  with  a  bone  in  her  teeth ;  that  is,  she  faced 
a  heavy  sea.  A  storm,  in  fact,  greeted  her  appearance  in 
deep  water,  and,  as  I  now  write,  I  can  imagine  her  out 
battling  with  the  waves  which  dash  across  her  decks, 


24  Around  the  World. 

making  her  passengers  wonder  whether  it  will  be  theirs 
to  sink  or  swim.  Doubtless  some  of  the  Coptic's  passen- 
gers are  reminded  of  the  words  of  Samuel  Taylor  Cole- 
ridge : 

"And  now  the  storm-blast  came,  and  he 
Was  tyrannous  and  strong; 
He  struck  with  his  o'ertaking  wings, 
And  chased  us  south  along. 

With  sloping  masts  and  dipping  prow, 
The  ship  drove  fast,  loud  roared  the  blast, 
And  southward  aye  we  fled." 

Scarcely  had  the  Coptic  gone  to  sea,  when  the  Amer- 
ica Mam  arrived,  bearing  many  marks  of  a  rough  voyage. 
After  leaving  Yokohama  she  was  caught  in  the  grasp  of 
one  of  the  worst  typhoons  with  which  a  ship  of  this  line 
ever  contended,  and  weathered.  Her  decks  were  partly 
demolished,  her  hospital  having  been  almost  carried  away 
by  the  hard-pounding  waves.  One  person  was  killed,  and 
others  were  bruised  until  restoration  by  the  use  of  arnica 
was  not  to  be  considered.  In  such  a  storm,  only  the  most 
seasoned  sailors  escape  seasickness. 

The  Southern  Pacific  Railroad  lands  all  its  Eastern 
and  Northern  passengers  at  Oakland  Pier,  where  a  ferry- 
boat is  taken  to  cross  San  Francisco  Bay,  and  passengers 
are  landed  at  the  foot  of  Market,  Street,  San  Francisco. 
The  ride  across  the  bay  was  a  sufficient  journey  to  make 
a  few  very  much  indisposed. 

Among  the  many  points  of  interests  to  tourists  is  Chi- 
natown. Orientalism  here  reaches  its  zenith  in  America. 
The  Chinese  quarters  embrace  about  twelve  blocks  in  the 
heart  of  the  city,  and  are  visited  by  every  sightseer  de- 
siring to  acquaint  himself  with  Chinese  life. 

I  was  particularly  fortunate  in  having  visited  the  Cliff 


Crossing  the  Continent.  25 

House  on  what  mariners  say  was  the  roughest  day  of  the 
year  on  the  sea.  The  waves,  driven  by  a  roaring,  driving 
sea,  dashed  against  seal-rocks,  and,  leaping  high  in  the 
air,  fell  in  foam  and  spray  upon  the  topmost  rocks,  which 
were  covered  with  bellowing,  howling  seals,  maddened  by 
the  wild  breakers.  No  picture  can  do  justice  to  the  scene, 
as  canvas  can  not  catch  up  the  characteristic  swish  of 
the  ocean,  and  add  to  it  the  noise  poured  forth  by  the  en- 
raged seals.  On  that  day  two  schooners  were  wrecked  by 
the  high  seas.  I  saw  one  of  them.  It  was  driven  upon  the 
rocks.  Looking  far  out  at  sea,  I  could  discern  large  sail- 
ing craft  tugging  at  their  anchors,  unwilling  to  make  the 
Golden  Gate  in  the  jaw  of  such  a  gale.  Well  might  they 
fear,  having  sails  only,  but  steam  craft  find  the  Gate  easy 
to  enter,  regardless  of  what  the  ocean  is  doing.  I  might 
add  here  that  the  seals  on  Seal  Island  are  protected  by 
law,  as  their  bellowing  serves  as  a  warning  to  seamen 
during  high  seas,  at  which  time  the  bellowing  of  a  pack 
of  fox-hounds  is  tame  compared  with  their  uncultured 
clamor.  The  Maker  of  all  had  a  purpose  in  His  every 
creation.  No  one  can  commune  with  the  ocean,  and  try 
to  unlock  its  secrets,  without  becoming  better  acquainted 
with  the  Ocean-Maker,  the  God  of  the  Bible. 

"They  that  go  down  to  the  sea  in  ships,  that  do  busi- 
ness in  waters : 

"These  see  the  works  of  the  Lord,  and  His  wonders  in 
the  deep. 

"For  He  commandeth,  and  raiseth  the  stormy  wind, 
which  lifteth  up  the  waves  thereof. 

"They  mount  up  to  the  heaven,  they  go  down  again 
to  the  depths ;  their  soul  is  melted  because  of  trouble. 

"They  reel  to  and  fro  and  stagger  like  a  drunken  man, 
and  are  at  their  wit's  end."  (Psalm  cvii,  23-27.) 


26  Around  the  World. 

Observe  Longfellow's  impressions  as  he  gazed  upon 
the  sea: 

"Ah !  what  pleasant  visions  haunt  me 
As  I  gaze  upon  the  sea! 
All  the  old  romantic  legends, 

All  my  dreams,  come  back  to  me, — 

Till  my  soul  is  full  of  longing 

For  the  secret  of  the  sea, 
And  the  heart  of  the  great  ocean 

Sends  a  thrilling  pulse  through  me." 

In  the  Golden  Gate  Park  is  a  section  of  the  remarkable 
California  tree,  the  Sequoia  gigantea,  which  measured 
three  hundred  and  eight  feet  in  height,  ninety-six  feet  in 
circumference  at  the  base,  its  bark  two  feet  thick,  and 
its  age  estimated  at  three  thousand  three  hundred  and 
seventy  years. 

If  the  age  estimated  be  correct,  that  monster  of  the 
vegetable  family  was  an  infant  when  Joshua  marched 
around  Jericho. 

The  largest  mint  in  the  world  is  located  in  this  city. 
Through  the  hands  of  its  chief  weigher  has  gone  all  the 
money  coined  during  the  past  twenty-five  years,  an 
amount  aggregating  over  nine  hundred  million  dollars, 
and  not  a  solitary  piece  of  money  has  gone  astray.  He 
now  handles  over  $60,000  daily,  or  rather  $120,000,  for 
he  delivers  bullion  to  the  cashier  in  the  morning,  and  re- 
ceives it  back  coined  during  the  day.  Counting  is  done 
by  weighing,  but  the  little  coins  are  both  counted  and 
weighed.  A  device  is  in  operation  by  which  ten  thousand 
separate  coins  can  be  counted  in  three  minutes,  thus  mak- 
ing it  possible  to  count  the  vast  output.  There  are  now  in 
the  vaults  of  the  mint  over  fifty  million  silver  dollars  in 
canvas  sacks,  each  sack  containing  $1,000.  This  vast 
fortune  is  guarded  by  seventeen  men,  twelve  serving  at 


Crossing  the  Continent.  27 

night  and  five  in  the  day-time.  A  system  of  electric 
alarms  has  been  installed,  so  that  all  may  be  called  in- 
stantly to  one  point  should  some  desperado  attempt  to 
feather  his  nest  with  Uncle  Sam's  glittering  coin,  which 
is  laid  aside  for  a  rainy  day. 

Since  its  establishment  in  1854,  the  mint  has  coined 
over  $1,300,000,000,  of  which  about  $1,100,000,000  was 
in  gold  and  about  $200,000,000  in  silver. 

Admission  to  the  mint  is  free,  the  Secretary  of  the 
Treasury  having  provided  conductors  to  guide  visitors 
through  the  mint  from  9  to  n.30  A.  M.,  daily,  except 
Sunday.  About  thirty  thousand  persons  visit  the  mint 
annually. 


II. 

SAN  FRANCISCO  TO  VANCOUVER. 

THE;  SHASTA  ROUTE — PORTLAND — SEATTLE — NECESSARY 
EQUIPMENT  FOR  TOURING  THE  WORLD — PASSPORT — 
LETTER  OF  CREDIT — FAREWELL  TO  AMERICA. 

After  a  six  days'  tour  of  San  Francisco  and  environs, 
the  long  trip  to  Vancouver  was  begun,  via  the  Southern, 
Northern,  and  Canadian  Pacific  lines.  The  Southern 
Pacific  runs  to  Sacramento,  thence  northward  into  the 
beautiful  and  luxuriant  Sacramento  Valley,  and  on  in  its 
winding  way,  encircling  Mount  Shasta,  to  Portland,  Ore- 
gon. If  the  most  imaginative  man  had  been  assigned  the 
task  of  planning  mountain  scenery,  his  ideal  would 
scarcely  have  approached  that  presented  by  the  Shasta 
route  in  grandeur. 

Shasta  not  only  rises  more  than  five  hundred  feet 
higher  than  Pike's  Peak,  but  it  lifts  its  snow-white  crest 
at  a  point  where  no  competitor  is  nearer  than  fifty  miles, 
which  causes  it  to  stand  out  double  its  real  height,  while 
the  Colorado  peak  is  so  nearly  upon  a  level  with  several 
of  its  towering  neighbors  that  the  uninitiated  are  kept 
guessing  as  to  which  is  the  real  Pike's  Peak. 

Shasta  Springs,  at  the  foot  of  the  peak,  pours  forth 
a  torrent  of  health-laden  waters,  presenting  a  sight  which 
brings  the  fast  train  to  a  halt  for  ten  minutes  in  order 
that   every   tourist   may   see,   and   drink,   and   snap   his 

28 


San  Francisco  to  Vancouver. 


29 


kodak  to  his  heart's  content,  even  if  his  train  is  two 
hours'  late.  Shasta  water  is  shipped  throughout  the  United 
States  and  sold  to  those  who  find  it  a  panacea  for  life's  ills. 

A  two  hours'  stop  at  Portland  enabled  us  to  sec  the 
shipping  in  the  harbor.  Thence  we  hastened  on  via  the 
Northern  Pacific,  crossing  the  Columbia  River  by  ferry, 
requiring  twenty  minutes,  and  arriving  in  Seattle  after 
a  run  of  two  days  and  two  nights,  the  greater  part  of  the 
journey  requiring  two  engines,  and  the  territory  adjacent 
to  Shasta  requiring  three.  In  places  the  grade  is  so  steep 
that  the  three  mountain-climbing  battleships  grumbled  and 
growled  as  if  anxious  to  give  up  the  job  of  Alpine  climb- 
ing to  the  Maker  of  the  mountains.  It  requires  only  a  few 
steps  in  thought  to  discover  that  the  Mountain-builder 
climbs  the  mountains,  drawing  the  train  of  human  freight. 
He  hid  away  the  coal  after  sealing  it  full  of  potential 
energy.  The  coal  is  appropriated  by  man,  burned  in  the 
furnace  to  heat  water,  which  is  transformed  into  steam ; 
the  steam  is  then  harnessed  in  a  cylinder  and  compelled 
to  turn  the  drive-wheels.  Man  does  the  most  insignificant 
part;  but,  nevertheless,  without  the  co-operation  of  man 
the  wheels  remain  idle.  Therefore,  it  is  reasonable  to 
conclude  that  the  man  who  has  much  to  do  with  the  iron 
horse  ought  to  be  more  brave  and  loyal  than  any  Knight 
of  the  Round  Table  in  his  fidelity  to  the  God  that  planted 
the  possibilities  in  ordinary  coal  and  water. 

Scarcely  a  dozen  years  ago  Seattle  was  little  more  than 
an  Indian  trading-post ;  but  since  then  it  has  sped  forward 
by  leaps  and  bounds  until  it  now  has  a  population  of  more 
than  a  tenth  of  a  million  with  an  up-to-date  appearance, 
putting  many  an  Eastern  city  to  shame  by  comparison. 
Electric  and  cable  cars  are  everywhere.  Banks  are  in 
abundance,  with  enormous  capital,  issuing  letters  of  credit 
on  the  world.     Business  is  of  sufficient  importance  to 


30  Around  the  World. 

justify  eleven  foreign  nations  in  maintaining  consuls  here. 
One  ship  sailed  last  week  carrying  a  cargo  for  Japan 
valued  at  almost  a  million  dollars.  Being  the  chief  out- 
fitting depot  on  the  Pacific  coast  for  Alaska,  her  business 
men  are  making  money  at  a  rate  that  beggars  description. 
Rightly  may  she  bear  the  title,  "Queen  City  of  the  North- 
west." 

Of  all  the  diversified  business  interests,  that  of  the 
Alaska  Portable  House  Company  is  the  most  unique. 
This  company  deals  in  houses  by  retail  or  wholesale, 
keeping  a  supply  on  hand  from  which  orders  are  filled 
and  buildings  delivered  in  a  way  similar  to  the  Box  Butte 
Courthouse.  Here  is  their  "for  sale"  ad. :  "Ready-made 
schoolhouses,  storerooms,  hotels  of  one  hundred  rooms 
or  more,  dwellings  one  and  two  stories,  of  four,  six, 
eight,  or  more  rooms,  suitable  for  warm  or  cold  climate." 
All  you  have  to  do,  if  you  have  no  time  to  call  and  in- 
spect, is  to  send  for  a  catalogue,  remit  the  price,  with  the 
number  of  the  house  you  desire,  and  awaken  the  next 
morning  with  a  one-hundred-and-fifty-room  house  in 
your  front  yard,  ready  for  occupancy.  If  American  in- 
genuity and  enterprise  meets  no  Waterloo,  I  am  ready 
to  read  without  shock  the  advertisement  of  some  venture- 
some organizer  stating,  "Have  a  seat,  sir.  Cities  made 
to  order  while  you  wait." 

I  arrived  in  Vancouver  from  Seattle  at  17.50  o'clock, 
or  5.50,  P.  M.,  according  to  the  mode  of  measuring  time 
recognized  in  the  United  States.  In  this  possession  of 
Great  Britain  the  bothersome  A.  M.  and  P.  M.  are  out 
of  fashion,  and  the  twenty-four  hour  system  has  posses- 
sion of  the  field.  Hence,  a  printer  would  be  guilty  of 
tautology  to  permit  a  wedding  invitation  to  appear  with 
the  words,  "twenty  o'clock  in  the  evening;"  for  twenty 
o'clock  can  come  at  no  other  time  than  in  the  evening. 


San  Francisco  to  Vancouver.  31 

I  have  no  criticism  to  offer  on  the  system,  and  would 
be  pleased  if  it  were  adopted  in  the  States. 

Here  I  received  the  first  mail  since  my  departure 
more  than  two  weeks  ago,  and  1  assure  you  it  did  me 
a  world  of  good.  A  letter  from  Captain  F.  M.  Dorring- 
ton,  register  of  the  United  States  land  office,  read  as  if 
it  had  come  from  any  bishop  of  any  Church  you  might 
name.  I  shall  never  forget  it.  Here  are  a  few  extracts : 
"That  God's  protecting  hand  may  be  with  you  constantly 
will  be  the  prayer  of  all  those  who  pray  to  God  and  know 
you."  "When  you  pass  from  the  shore  to  the  boat, 
do  n't  look  back,  but  look  forward  in  the  thought  that 
you  are  on  your  journey  back  home,  but  coming  in  at 
the  other  gate ;  and  each  hour  out,  while  taking  you 
from  home,  is  bringing  you  that  much  nearer  home. 
God  will  be  with  you  everywhere,  and  you  will  find 
much  comfort  in  your  communion  with  Him  when  it 
will  seem  to  you  that  you  are  alone.  You  will  never  be 
alone  with  the  faith  that  is  in  you."  "We  will  await  your 
coming  with  much  anxiety  and  your  letters  will  be  much 
sought  after.  That  you  may  have  a  safe  and  interesting 
journey  will  be  the  daily  prayer." 

A  few  words  regarding  the  essentials  in  the  way  of 
equipment  may  be  advisable.  First  of  all,  a  passport 
should  be  secured.  To  secure  this  document  a  letter 
should  be  addressed  to  the  Secretary  of  State,  Washing- 
ton, D.  C,  requesting  blanks  for  a  passport.  On  receiving 
the  request,  the  State  Department  will  forward  the  neces- 
sary papers  to  be  filled  out  by  the  applicant  before  a  notary 
public.  The  application  must  also  bear  the  signature 
of  some  other  responsible  citizen  who  vouches  for  the 
good  faith  of  the  applicant,  as  the  Government  is  par- 
ticular not  to  issue  a  passport  to  any  one  going  abroad 
with  evil  intent,  if  the  fact  is  known,     The  bearer  of  a 


32 


Around  the  World. 


passport  going  abroad  really  has  the  army  and  navy 
ready  to  protect  him.  The  document  is  signed  by  Hon. 
John  Hay,  Secretary  of  State,  with  the  great  seal  of  the 
United  States  affixed,  and  requests  the  nations  of 
earth  "to  give  him  all  lawful  aid  and  protection."  The 
passport  bears  a  very  complete  description  of  its  bearer, 
so  that  it  would  be  of  no  value  to  any  one  who  might  steal 
it  from  the  lawful  owner.  Besides  the  bearer's  signature 
as  a  means  of  identification,  it  states  his  age,  height,  and 
describes  his  forehead,  eyes,  nose,  mouth,  chin,  hair, 
face,  and  complexion.  One  dollar  must  be  forwarded 
with  the  application  to  the  Secretary  of  State,  the  amount 
of  his  fee  for  issuing  and  recording  the  passport.  No 
charge  is  made  for  the  application  blanks.  If  a  person 
expects  to  travel  in  Turkey  or  Palestine,  a  possession  of 
Turkey,  this  passport  must  bear  the  visa  of  a  Turkish 
consul,  which  visa  can  be  secured  through  the  Depart- 
ment of  State  at  Washington,  an  additional  charge  of 
$1.25  being  required  by  the  Turkish  consul  for  his  visa. 
Turkey,  Russia,  Roumania,  and  Persia  form  a  quarter, 
each  of  whom  requires  not  only  that  a  person  be  in  pos- 
session of  a  passport,  but  also  requires  that  it  bear  the 
visa  of  one  of  their  own  consular  officers  at  the  seat  of 
the  government  issuing  the  passport. 

Secondly,  a  person  must  have  a  letter  of  credit  good 
around  the  world.  I  bought  my  letter  of  credit  at  the 
Colorado  National  Bank  of  Denver.  The  letter  is  issued 
by  the  Kountze  Bros.,  bankers,  of  New  York,  on  the 
Union  Bank  of  London,  and  is  good  throughout  the 
islands  as  well  as  almost  everywhere  on  every  continent. 
The  letter  of  credit,  a  product  of  recent  years,  is  the  most 
praiseworthy  achievement  of  the  banking  world.  It  con- 
sists of  two  parts,  one  being  the  letter  of  credit,  a  finely- 
engraved  document  of  four  pages,  nine  by  eleven  inches, 


San  Francisco  to  Vancouver. 


33 


the  first  page  being  a  statement  signed  by  Kountze  Bros., 

setting  forth  the  fact  that has  a  credit  of  so 

many  pounds  sterling,  and  that  his  drafts  on  the  Union 
Bank  of  London  will  be  honored  to  that  amount.  The 
second  and  third  pages  contain  spaces  for  dates,  amounts, 
and  names  of  banks  around  the  world,  to  whon  I  may 
apply  for  cash  on  the  letter  of  credit.  As  all  amounts 
paid  to  me  are  entered,  every  bank  to  whom  I  present  my 
letter  can  see  in  a  moment  the  amount  I  have  remaining 
to  my  credit,  so  that  no  bank  need  be  swindled  by  paying 
after  all  the  money  is  drawn  for  which  the  letter  was 
issued.  The  second  part  of  the  outfit,  known  as  a  letter 
of  credit,  consists  of  a  signature  book,  the  first  page  being 
engraved,  bearing  my  signature,  and  under  it  the  signa- 
ture of  the  Xew  York  bankers,  stating  to  the  world  that 
my  signature  is  genuine,  and  that  it  is  the  one  referred  to 
in  Letter  of  Credit,  No.  9539.  So,  whenever  I  need  any 
money,  I  go  to  the  bank,  write  a  check  for  the  amount 
I  desire,  present  it  to  the  cashier,  who  examines  my  letter 
of  credit,  and  observes  that  the  letter  is  good  for  the 
amount  and  more,  asks  for  my  book  of  identification  or 
signature  book,  which  I  immediately  present,  and,  seeing 
that  the  signatures  agree,  the  cashier  pays  me  the  amount, 
and  enters  it  on  the  back  of  the  letter  of  credit.  The 
draft  or  check  I  wrote  is  kept  by  the  cashier,  and  for- 
warded to  London,  which,  when  received  in  London,  is 
charged  to  my  account  after  being  compared  with  my 
signature  taken  by  the  Colorado  National  Bank  at  Denver 
and  forwarded  to  London.  Hence  it  is  seen  that  no  other 
person  could  draw  the  money,  even  if  in  possession  of  the 
letter  of  credit,  as  no  money  is  paid  by  any  bank  without 
first  seeing  the  signature  book ;  and  my  name  would  have 
to  be  forged  if  some  one  should  either  find  or  steal  both 
the  signature  book  and  the  letter  of  credit.    In  such  a  case 


34  Around  the  World. 

the  forgery  would  have  to  deceive  the  London  bank  also, 
as  each  signature  must  pass  the  experts  of  the  local  bank 
as  well  as  the  British  bank  before  my  account  in  London 
is  charged.  Greater  precaution  for  absolute  safety  ap- 
pears nowhere  else  in  the  realm  of  finance.  The  charge 
for  such  service  is  five  dollars  and  upward,  depending 
upon  the  amount  of  credit  obtained  in  London ;  but  the 
value  of  such  an  accommodation  can  not  be  estimated 
in  dollars  and  cents,  as  a  person  can  get  any  amount 
desired  and  in  the  currency  of  the  country  in  which  he  is 
traveling.  Another  advantage  offered  is,  that  the  owner 
of  a  letter  of  credit  can  have  his  mail  sent  in  care  of  any 
bank,  and  it  will  be  delivered  to  him  on  his  arrival. 

Letters  of  credit  are  also  issued  by  Thomas  Cook  and 
Son,  available  in  all  parts  of  the  world,  and  are  as  good  as 
gold.  They  present  some  features  superior  to  the  ordi- 
nary bank  letter  of  credit,  and  are  popular  with  a  large 
number  of  tourists.  An  advantage  is  offered  by  using 
Cook's  currency,  because  his  offices  are  open  earlier  and 
later  than  the  banks.  Cook's  offices  are  exchange  banks, 
where  the  money  of  one  nation  may  be  changed  into  that 
of  another  as  desired. 

The  passport  and  letter  of  credit  are  the  most  impor- 
tant items  to  be  considered  by  any  one  contemplating 
travel.  The  problem  of  baggage  is  easily  disposed  of. 
Take  as  little  as  possible.  Never  take  a  trunk  if  it  can  be 
avoided.  My  equipment  is  stored  in  two  suit  cases. 
Mr.  Dana,  a  noted  traveler,  said  that  he  took  nothing  that 
was  too  large  to  be  carried  in  his  overcoat  pocket.  He 
was  a  radical  opponent  of  luggage  carrying. 

But  the  hour  for  departing  approaches.  The  smoke 
rolls  from  the  huge  twin  smokestacks  while  the  ten  thou- 
sand horse-power  engines  pant  like  swift  hounds,  begging 
to  be  loosened  for  the  chase.    The  good  ship  is  a  majestic, 


San  Francisco  to  Vancouver. 


35 


throbbing,  palatial  mansion  afloat.  Built  by  the  Naval 
Construction  Company,  at  Barrow-in-Furness,  England, 
she  lacks  in  no  point,  being  pronounced  by  her  builders 
as  second  to  no  craft  that  ever  plowed  the  deep.  Named 
the  Empress  of  Japan,  she  measures  four  hundred  and 
eighty-five  feet  in  length,  and  on  her  trial  trip  developed 
a  speed  of  nineteen  knots  per  hour,  having  the  honor  of 
making  the  fastest  trans-Pacific  trip  ever  made. 

But  yonder  sun,  hastening  towards  his  evening  couch 
far  to  the  westward,  bids  us  take  a  fond  look  at  the  conti- 
nent of  our  nativity  and  step  from  terra  firma  to  the 
trembling  monster  bound  for  the  Orient.  Permit  the  poet 
to  voice  our  farewell : 

"Yon  sun  that  sets  upon  the  sea 
We  follow  in  his  flight ; 
Farewell  awhile  to  him  and  thee, — ■ 
My  native  land,  good-night." 

Through  the  eye  of  faith  I  see  beyond  the  billows, 
and  land  is  in  sight ;  but  weeks  must  intervene  between 
this  embarkation  and  the  sighting  of  land  again ;  so  I  call 
upon  the  poet  to  lead  us  in  our  prayer : 

"  Lord,  whom  winds  and  seas  obey, 
Guide  us  through  the  watery  way; 
In  the  hollow  of  Thy  hand 
Hide,  and  bring  us  safe  to  land." 


III. 

CROSSING  THE  PACIFIC. 

PLEASURES  AND  SORROWS  OE  LIFE  AT  SEA — SHIP  ENCOUN- 
TERS TERRIBLE  STORM — A  DAY  LOST  AT  THE  INTERNA- 
TIONAL DATE  LINE — DEATH  AT  SEA ARRIVAL  AT  YO- 
KOHAMA. 

MONDAY. 

The  command  "let  go"  is  given ;  the  "jackies"  hoist 
the  large  ropes  from  their  posts ;  the  Herculean  engines 
begin  to  throb ;  the  twin  screws  make  the  water  boil,  crest- 
ing the  waves  with  foam,  and  we  are  off. 

A  sea  of  handkerchiefs  waves  from  end  to  end  of  the 
wharf,  bidding  us  Godspeed  as  the  start  across  the  briny 
deep  is  made.  Vancouver,  B.  C,  soon  melts  away  behind 
the  towering  hills  as  our  good  ship  enters  the  Narrows 
and  threads  her  way  toward  the  open  sea.  At  21  o'clock 
Victoria  is  reached,  where  additional  passengers  and  mails 
are  taken,  and  the  vessel  puts  to  sea,  the  next  stop  on 
the  schedule  being  Yokohama,  Japan,  four  thousand  five 
hundred  miles  over  the  trackless  ocean.  With  con- 
stantly accelerating  speed,  the  Empress  plows  her  way 
out  in  the  darkness.  Hastening  out  upon  the  deck  from 
my  electric-lighted  apartments,  I  thought  I  would  take 
a  glimpse  at  Balboa's  discovery,  then  retire  for  the  night ; 
but  not  an  object  could  be  seen,  so  dense  was  the  darkness, 
and  nothing  could  be  heard  save  the  muffled  machinery 
and  the  ceaseless  swish  of  the  restless  waters.     The  ship 

36 


Crossing  the  Pacific.  37 

runs  smoothly  to-night,  but  how  will  it  be  on  the  morrow  ? 
retire  to  my  well-found  bertli,  Xo.  19,  to  surrender  my- 
self, if  I  can,  to  the  welcome  embrace  of  Morpheus. 

TUESDAY. 

At  break  of  day  the  vessel  began  performing  like  a 
bucking  Western  broncho  resolved  not  to  be  ridden.  She 
encountered  a  gale,  and  took  all  the  poetry  out  of  my 
feelings.  She  pitched  and  rolled  like  a  cork  on  a  mountain 
current,  without  any  concern  whatever  as  to  what  became 
of  our  excellent  breakfast.  All  except  eight  of  the  pas- 
sengers were  quite  liberal,  and  each  contributed  freely 
as  he  had  been  prospered  to  the  hungry  gulls  and  fishes. 
But  at  two  o'clock  (returning  to  the  twelve-hour  system) 
I  enjoyed  my  lunch,  and  was  out  promenading  on  deck 
as  an  old  salt-seasoned  sailor.  Little  now  do  I  care  for 
the  vessel's  motion ;  but  if  the  foam-crested  waves  should 
climb  up  over  the  bridge  and  play  among  the  rattlings 
(wire  or  cable  ladders),  I  might  then  be  forced  to  add  a 
new  chapter  to  my  record  as  a  sailor. 

Examining  berth  18,  I  find  there  Dr.  H.  C.  Strong, 
a  dentist  from  Chicago,  bound  for  Manila,  laid  out  by  the 
sea's  behavior,  without  breakfast,  lunch,  or  dinner.  Lake 
Michigan  had  offered  no  terrors  to  him  during  many 
a  crossing,  but  it  is  quite  different  as  he  rides  the  real 
"Father  of  Waters."  In  berth  17  is  Professor  W.  C. 
Chen,  aged  twenty-five,  a  Chinese  graduate  of  Peking 
University,  a  teacher  in  his  Alma  Mater,  now  returning 
to  his  native  land,  having  been  on  a  lecture  tour,  speaking 
in  Cincinnati,  Columbus,  and  at  the  World's  Methodist 
Missionary  Conference  held  at  Cleveland.  Sick — that  is 
no  name  for  his  lot.  Crossing  the  Indian  and  Atlantic 
Oceans,  he  was  little  the  worse  for  the  trip,  but  now  he 
has  unconditionally   surrendered.     Being  a   professional 


38  Around  the  World. 

man,  and  following-  the  Oriental  custom,  he  dresses  like 
a  woman,  except  that  he  is  not  satisfied  with  one  dress, 
but  wears  four  at  one  time.  Most  American  women  do  not 
object  to  four  dresses,  but  they  prefer  to  promenade  in 
one  at  a  time.  In  berth  20  is  Professor  J.  Shimoda, 
now  returning  from  Germany,  where  he  has  been 
taking  a  course  in  philosophy,  preparatory  to  teach- 
ing in  the  Japan  Normal.  He,  too,  expresses  his  con- 
dition in  the  words  of  the  German  by  saying:  "Ich  bin 
krank."  He  made  excellent  progress  with  the  language, 
for  he  spoke  it  very  well  for  the  time  spent. 

Near  by  is  Mr.  M.  H.  Sampson,  wife,  and  children, 
Lotta  and  Marie,  who  are  en  route  from  San  Francisco 
to  Manila,  he  being  the  purchasing  agent  of  the  North 
American  Trading  Company.  They  will  reside  in  Manila. 
I  will  not  multiply  particulars,  but  add  that,  when  all 
were  horizontal,  little  Marie  said:  "Mamma,  I  would 
rather  drown  than  any  other  way,  for  drowning  is  the 
easiest  kind  of  die."  Those  girls,  aged  five  and  one-half 
and  seven  and  one-half,  are  so  interesting.  I  had  just 
been  shaved  (price  twenty-five  cents)  when  one  of  them 
climbed  into  my  lap  and  kissed  me,  thereby  in  a  way  can- 
celing a  thousand  miles  of  the  ocean  voyage. 

WEDNESDAY. 

The  severe  tossing  of  yesterday  is  no  more,  and  a 
quieter  sea  greets  glad  eyes,  and  all  are  on  deck,  marching 
and  counter-marching.  The  empty  chairs,  so  noticeable 
at  mealtime  yesterday,  are  now  occupied  regularly,  and 
games  are  the  feature  of  life  at  sea.  The  wind  that  came 
head-on  yesterday  is  now  astern,  helping  the  ship  onward. 
We  are  now  out  nearly  eight  hundred  miles,  and  the 
gulls  are  still  keeping  us  company.  When  the  ship  is 
making  sixteen  knots  an  hour  against  a  head  wind,  those 


Crossing  the  Pacific.  30 

remarkable  birds  of  the  tireless  wing  keep  abreast  of  the 
vessel  without  a  single  perceptible  movement  of  their 
wings.  They  sail  like  kites  connected  with  the  ship  by 
cords.  They,  however,  ply  their  wings  now  and  then  to 
break  the  monotony  of  apparently  dead-beating  their  way 
entirely.  Occasionally  they  dart  down  into  the  sea  after 
scraps  assigned  to  the  water  from  the  kitchen,  then  come 
wheeling  up  again,  ready  to  plunge  for  the  next  object 
detected  by  their  ever-watchful  eyes. 

The  swelling  ocean  presents  an  ever-changing  pano- 
rama. It  is  interesting  to  watch  a  big  wave  as  it  lifts 
its  head  on  high  as  if  to  observe  the  approaching  ship  in 
order  to  learn  what  it  means  by  invading  this  domain 
without  a  formal  invitation.  Then,  like  a  maddened  mon- 
ster it  rushes  upon  the  Empress,  only  to  be  cut  in  twain 
by  her  steel  prow  and  melt  away,  regretting  that  an  at- 
tempt had  been  made  to  drive  the  invader  from  the  sea. 

Regarding  the  ocean,  George  Wither  wrote  the  fol- 
lowing : 

"  On  those  great  waters  now  I  am, 
Of  which  I  have  been  told 
That  whosoever  thither  came 
Should  wonders  there  behold." 

To  my  mind,  every  wonder — whales,  sharks,  and  creep- 
ing things  innumerable — dwarf  to  insignificance  compared 
with  that  greater  mystery  of  the  deep — the  Power  that  is 
behind  it  all ;  hence  this  verse  of  Charles  Wesley  more 
nearly  presents  my  conception  of  the  ocean  : 

"  'T  is  here  Thine  unknown  paths  we  trace, 
Which  dark  to  human  eyes  appear; 
While  through  the  mighty  waves  we  pass, 
Faith  only  sees  that  God  is  here." 

Black  clouds  now  fill  the  sky  from  the  zenith  to  the 
horizon,  and  darkness  hovers  over  the  deep.     The  out- 


4Q 


Around  the  Wcrld. 


look  is  indicative  that  a  rough  sea  will  keep  U3  company 
to-night  and  put  the  Empress  to  the  test. 

THURSDAY. 

Last  night  was  the  roughest  yet  experienced.  The 
ship  rolled  and  pitched  frightfully.  At  one  moment  a 
person  plunged  down  to  the  foot  of  the  bed ;  at  the  next 
his  head  went  plunk  against  the  other  end.  My  unusual 
length  curtailed  the  distance  I  was  forced  to  travel  like 
a  shuttle  in  either  direction.  Add  to  the  rolling  an  abun- 
dance of  pitching  and  you  have  a  fair  conception  of  the 
passengers  as  they  moved  in  two  directions,  at  the  same 
time,  demonstrating  to  us  very  practically  what  the  poec 
meant  when  he  wrote  about  being  "rocked  in  the  cradle 
of  the  deep." 

It  is  past  ten  o'clock,  A.  M.,  and  Mrs.  Sampson  sits 
at  the  table  just  across  from  me  with  a  far-away  look, 
waiting  for  this  double-geared  see-saw  to  cease  that  she 
may  gather  her  thoughts  and  write  to  her  loved  ones. 

The  racks  had  to  be  used  this  morning  on  the  tables 
in  order  to  harness  the  dishes,  but  mishaps  and  wrecks 
occurred  in  spite  of  the  greatest  diligence.  These  racks 
are  made  of  wood,  and  divide  the  table  into  spaces  or  pens 
fifteen  by  twenty-two  inches  and  nearly  three  inches  high, 
so  that  each  person,  having  a  quadrilateral  for  his  service, 
is  molested  only  by  having  his  dishes  pile  up  and  wreck 
on  his  own  premises;  however,  the  contents  often  jump 
over  into  the  coral  of  his  neighbor,  where  diverse  mixtra- 
tions  become  painfully  evident. 

It  is  surprising  the  amount  of  food  consumed  on  one 
of  these  ocean  palaces.  The  gentleman  in  charge  of 
the  refrigerator  tells  me  that,  besides  tens  of  thousands 
of  pounds  of  beef,  fish,  pork,  mutton,  and  wild  fowl, 
he  has  also  more  than  two  thousand  pounds  of  chicken. 


Crossing  the  Pacific.  41 

Desiring  to  familiarize  myself  with  Japanese  money 
before  arriving  in  Yokohama,  I  went  to  the  purser  of 
the  ship  and  exchanged  my  American  for  the  Japanese, 
securing  two  yen  for  each  American  dollar,  the  yen  con- 
sisting of  one  hundred  sens,  and  each  sen  consisting  of 
ten  rins. 

FRIDAY. 

Dr.  Strong  came  to  the  table  this  morning  for  the 
first  time  since  Monday,  the  obliging  waiters  having 
serving  him  his  meals  in  his  cabin.  The  tossing  of  the 
sea  is  too  much  for  him,  and  he  now  occupies  No.  20 
as  of  yore.  The  occupants  of  Nos.  17  and  18,  of  whom 
I  wrote  Tuesday,  are  also  laid  up,  while  I  am  writing  and 
feeling  shipshape,  having  completely  recovered  on  Tues- 
day by  two  o'clock,  the  doctor  having  remarked  that  I 
must  be  blessed  with  a  gizzard  for  a  stomach,  making 
me  a  first-class  sailor. 

It  will  be  a  surprise  to  dairymen  to  know  that  we 
have  fresh  milk  on  board  ship  each  day.  I  learn  that 
it  was  frozen  in  British  Columbia  and  is  melted  as 
needed.  Our  special  refrigerating  machinery,  I  am  told, 
accomplishes  wonders  by  doing  almost  everything  from 
freezing  up  young  blast  furnaces  to  making  icebergs 
colder. 

SATURDAY. 

"  Late,  late  yestere'en  I  saw  the  new  moon 
With  the  old  moon  in  her  arms ; 
And  I  fear,  I  fear,  my  Master  dear, 
We  shall  have  a  deadly  storm." 

— Ballad  of  Sir  Patrick  Spens. 

I  have  just  been  driven  from  the  upper  deck  by  a  visit 
of  the  boiling,  hissing,  growling  waters,  though  I  was 
the  last  to  leave  the  wave-splashed  upper  decks,  except- 


42  Around  the  World. 

ing  the  sailors,  who,  dressed  in  rubber  hats,  coats,  and 
boots,  are  heroically  laboring  with  the  flying  awnings.  I 
reluctantly  left  the  upper  deck,  for  I  love  to  look  on  na- 
ture when  she  is  in  her  wildest  mood. 

"  For  I  have  learned 
To  look  on  nature,  not  as  in  the  hour 
Of  thoughtless  youth ;  but  hearing  oftentimes 
The  still,  sad  music  of  humanity ; 
Not  harsh  nor  grating,  though  of  ample  power 
To  chasten  and  subdue.     And  I  have  felt 
A  presence  that  disturbs  me  with  the  joy 

Of  elevated  thoughts ; 
Of  something  far  more  deeply  interfused, 
Whose  dwelling  is  the  light  of  setting  suns, 
And  the  round  ocean,  and  the  living  air, 
And  the  blue  sky,  and  in  the  mind  of  man ; 
A  motion  and  a  spirit,  that  impels 
All  thinking  things,  all  objects  of  all  thought, 
And  rolls  through  all  things." 

On  Thursday  I  took  a  snapshot  at  the  Empress  as  she 
lay  wallowing  port  side  down  in  the  ocean  under  the 
influence  of  a  huge  wave  which  struck  her  starboard 
quarter;  but  to-day  the  driving  wind  is  too  full  of  water 
snatched  from  foam-crested  waves  to  permit  any  at- 
tempt at  photography.  No  spouting  whales  are  visible 
to-day,  as  they  have  gone  down  where  quiet  reigns  su- 
preme; but  we  must  take  what  comes.  It  is  almost  two 
thousand  miles  to  shore  on  the  east,  and  more  than 
twenty-five  hundred  to  shore  in  the  direction  we  are 
going,  and  five  miles  to  the  eternal  silence  of  the  ocean's 
floor  below  us.  How  far  it  is  to  the  heavenly  shore  we 
have  no  mathematical  data. 

While  on  deck  yesterday  I  interrogated  a  young  sailor 
who  was  sweeping.  He  wore  sailor's  garb,  a  neat  blue 
suit,  his  cap  bore  the  gilt  letters  Empress  of  Japan.  I 
supposed  that  he  was  the  hero  of  many  an  ocean  ad- 


Crossing  the  Pacific.  43 

venture,  but  learned  the  following-,  which  I  present  in  his 
own  language:  "Desiring  a  taste  of  the  sea,  I  left  my 
Louisiana  home,  came  to  Vancouver,  and  hired  to  the 
Empress  line  as  a  helper  at  $15  per  month.  I  am  on  duty 
four  hours,  and  off  four.  The  table  service  for  the 
ship's  crew  is  not  what  I  have  been  used  to;  but  the 
grub  is  all  right,  I  guess.  As  this  is  my  first  trip, 
I  am  seasick,  and  have  eaten  but  one  meal  since  we 
started;  and  when  the  ship  gets  back  to  Vancouver  in 
January  I  '11  quit,  for  I  've  got  enough  of  the  sea," 
said  he,  and  he  cast  his  tear-flowing  eyes  longingly  over 
the  seething  water  toward  the  cozy  home  he  had  left 
down  in  the  Southland.  Boys,  take  warning.  This  fel- 
low, aged  sixteen,  has  marks  of  good  parentage  and 
training,  but,  like  the  Prodigal  Son,  must  pay  dearly 
for  his  experience.  Officers  fare  well,  there  being  at 
present  no  less  than  eighty  applications  on  file  for  the 
position  of  second  steward. 

It  is  now  very  dark  and  the  storm  still  rages,  so  I 
will  let  Coleridge  speak  : 

"Alone,  alone,  all,  all  alone, 

Alone  on  a  wide,  wide  sea! 
And  never  a  saint  took  pity  on 

My  sonl  in  agony." 

And  again  the  poet  comes  to  our  relief: 

"  But  tell  me,  tell  me,  speak  again, 
Thy  soft  response  renewing — 
What  makes  the  ship  drive  on  so  fast  ? 
What  is  the  ocean  doing?" 

Would  you  see  this  sight  that  drives  old  sailors  to 
guessing,  then  give  your  imagination  a  chance,  and 
let  us  witness  what  the  ocean  is  doing.  I  am  anchored 
to  the  chair,  yet  now  and  then  the  lurching  greyhound 
of  the  deep  jerks  me  loose  from  my  moorings.     The 


44 


Around  the  World. 


twin  screws  leap  from  the  water,  and  make  the  ship 
tremble  from  stern  to  prow  at  each  leap  over  the  on- 
coming and  fast  approaching  townships  of  water.  Now 
and  then  the  rushing  waves  leap  high  above  the  main 
deck,  over  the  upper  deck,  and  still  upward,  deluging 
the  promenade  deck  and  introducing  the  lifeboats  to  salt 
water   as   they   hang   suspended   still    higher. 

I  must  beg  of  my  wife  a  thousand  pardons  for  ever 
inviting  her  to  an  experience  like  this.  Would  you  get 
an  idea  of  the  motion  or  commotion  produced,  then  just 
imagine  your  room  to  be  a  cabin  in  a  ship.  Place  your- 
self in  the  east  side,  facing  westward ;  in  a  moment  the 
right  side  of  the  room  rises  as  if  to  turn  completely  over, 
and  you  slide  to  the  left ;  then,  when  in  collision  with 
the  wall,  the  west  side  of  the  room  drops  down,  and  you 
go  sprawling  at  double-quick  time,  not  on  a  two-step, 
but  with  a  bang  in  that  direction  Xext,  the  left-hand 
side  rises  out  of  the  abyss,  and  sends  you  to  the  point 
whence  you  started,  ready  to  repeat  the  operation.  A 
moment  ago,  a  mighty  rushing  wave  leaped  over  the 
decks,  causing  the  ship  to  careen ;  the  New  York  mer- 
chant who  pays  $8,000  per  year  rental  for  his  store- 
room, and  now  en  route  to  China  to  buy  goods,  walking 
in  the  dining-room  at  the  time  of  the  shock,  scampered 
in  a  zizgag  route  to  his  cabin  as  if  hunting  an  asylum 
of  safety.  Would  you  hear  the  noise  generated  by  the 
mysterious  sea  as  it  lashes  itself  into  fury?  Just  send  a 
dozen  rattling  freight-trains  down  the  track  of  your  im- 
agination, each  train  accompanied  by  an  attendant  cy- 
clone, and  let  all  collide  with  a  thousand  fierce,  scream- 
ing wildcats  in  a  fight  to  the  finish,  and  you  may  evolve 
from  the  combination  an  undertone  of  the  echo  of 
a  storm  in  midocean. 


Crossing  the  Pacific.  45 

SUNDAY. 

"  How  happy  they 
Who,  from  the  toil  and  tumult  of  their  lives, 
Steal  to  look  down  where  naught  but  ocean  strives." 

— Lord  Byron. 

Were  Lord  Byron  among  the  living  and  on  board 
this  ship,  observing  that  not  a  woman  has  been  seen 
either  in  the  diner  or  on  deck  for  two  days,  and  that 
strong  men  are  now  stretched  out  like  so  many  mummies, 
he  would  gladly  change  that  word  happy  to  miserable. 
It  is  one  thing  to  look  down  at,  and  quite  another  to  be 
out  in,  the  striving  ocean.  The  two  chairs  to  the  right 
of  me  in  the  diner  are  occupied  by  Englishmen  from 
London,  the  one  going  to  Calcutta,  the  other  to  Australia. 
Both  assert  that  they  have  made  many  a  voyage,  but 
"never  were  in  the  like  of  this."  At  ten  o'clock  last 
night,  moments  seemed  to  abide  with  us  like  hours. 
Many  feared  that  the  Empress  was  struggling  in  the 
embrace  of  a  typhoon.  The  machinery  ceased  its  accus- 
tomed motion  as  we  were  driven,  although  the  pilot  kept 
the  prow  toward  the  line  of  assault.  One  man  declared 
that  his  head  bumped  the  ceiling  at  one  dropping  or 
sinking  of  the  vessel.  We  are  thankful  that  it  is  no 
worse,  for  on  a  former  trip  the  good  ship  had  her  side 
smashed  in,  her  smokestacks  crushed  and  the  lifeboats 
torn  loose.  The  deep  is  more  quiet  now,  and  my  text  is : 
"He  maketh  the  storm  a  calm,  so  that  the  waves  thereof 
are  still.  Then  are  they  glad  because  they  be  quiet; 
so  He  bringeth  them  unto  their  desired  haven."  (Psa. 
cvii,  29,  30.) 

MONDAY. 

The  good  ship  now  speeds  quietly  through  the  glassy 

waters, 

"Like  a  painted  ship 
Upon  a  painted  ocean." 


46  Around  the  World. 

lu  reply  to  my  question  as  to  why  she  steams  so 
swiftly,  the  officer  replied:  "On  our  departure  from 
Vancouver  we  cabled  under  the  Atlantic  and  Indian 
Oceans  to  Japan,  stating  the  precise  hour  we  would  ar- 
rive in  Yokohama,  and,  in  spite  of  the  delay  on  account 
of  the  storm,  the  Empress  will  poke  her  snoot  around  the 
nook  of  land  and  be  entering  Yokohama  Harbor  just  as 
the  signal  gun  fires  the  eight  o'clock  salute  on  Monday 
morning,  November  17th.  She  is  now  making  up  lost 
time." 

Stepping  out  upon  deck  before  breakfast,  I  noticed 
four  sailors  carrying  something  rolled  in  a  blanket.  I 
wonder  what  that  is  ?"  said  I  to  the  second  steward,  who 
responded,  "That 's  nothing  but  a  stiff,  and  it 's  the 
third  person  they  now  have  rolled  in  blankets.  But 
that 's  only  a  common  occurrence."  Thus  this  Chinese 
steerage  passenger  went  unwept  to  his  casket.  They  are 
not  buried  at  sea  like  white  people,  but  are  carried  to 
destination  of  ticket,  for  Chinese  will  not  patronize 
any  steamship  line  that  will  not  contract  to  carry  each 
corpse  to  land  for  burial.  Chinese  are  usually  stowed 
away  in  the  hold  as  Asiatic  steerage.  Seven  hundred 
of  them  are  thus  stowed  away  on  this  ship,  all  return- 
ing to  their  native  land.  When  an  American  or  Euro- 
pean  dies  aboard  ship  he  is  cast  overboard  as  food  for 
sharks.  On  such  an  occasion  the  ship  runs  at  half  speed ; 
the  captain  reads  the  burial  service ;  the  corpse  weighted 
with  bars  of  iron,  is  then  slid  into  the  deep,  and  is  seen 
no  more  by  human  eyes.  "White  man  chucked  over- 
board ;  yellow  man  carried  into  port,"  is  a  sad  but  true 
saying.  I  understand  that  some  steamship  lines  carry 
every  corpse  into  port  regardless  of  color ;  but  with  us  is 
a  passenger  who  says  he  has  witnessed  a  burial  at  sea 
on  every  voyage  he  has  taken,  having  crossed  the  At- 


Crossing  the  Pacific.  aj 

lantic  only  a  month   ago.     The   following  verse  is   full 
of  meaning  at  this  moment : 

"  Wrecks  are  darkly  spread  below, 
Where  with  lonely  keel  we  go; 
Gentle  brows  and  bosoms  brave 
Those  abysses  richly  pave. 
If  beneath  the  briny  deep 
We,  with  them,  should  coldly  sleep, 
Savior,  o'er  the  whelming  sea, 
Take  our  ransomed  souls  to  Thee." 

I  shall  now  retire,  and  not  waken  till  Wednesday 
morning,  this  being  Monday  night,  although  I  do  not 
expect  to  sleep  longer  than  usual. 

WEDNESDAY. 

We  have  crossed  the  180th  meridian,  which  is  the 
international  date-line,  where  a  day  is  dropped  going 
westward,  and  it  is  now  Wednesday,  November  12th. 
Hence  this  week  will  have  only  six  days  for  us,  and 
November  only  twenty-nine  days.  If  we  were  sailing 
eastward  and  should  cross  this  line  on  Monday,  we 
would  rise  on  the  following  day,  and  it  would  be  Mon- 
day also,  making  the  week  have  eight  days.  Going  west 
a  day  is  dropped ;  going  east  a  day  is  repeated. 

To  be  on  the  ocean  to-day  is  pleasant.  The  ship 
moves  proudly  over  the  placid  waters.  Whales  Ventured 
within  one  hundred  and  fifty  yards  of  us  to-day  in  a 
school,  playing  and  gamboling  in  semi-circular  contor- 
tions to  the  delight  of  every  beholder.  One  person  ap- 
proximated their  length  at  seventy  or  eighty  feet,  and 
worth  $5,000  each. 

THURSDAY. 

To-day  the  ocean  is  decidedly  rougher,  and,  as  we  skip 
over  the  billows,  my  mind  turns  back  to  the  scenes  of 
my   childhood,    where,    when    thrown    from    a    horse,    I 


48  Around  the  World. 

knew    where   I    was ;   but   to   be   set   adrift   here   almost 
staggers  the  mind. 

FRIDAY. 

One  of  the  engineers  invited  me  to  accompany  him 
to-day,  promising  to  insure  me  a  sight  that  I  would 
never  forget.  I  was  taken  down  a  hatchway  into  the 
hold,  where  the  seven  hundred  Chinese  steerage  pas- 
sengers are  packed.  I  shall  remember  the  scene  "till 
Gabriel's  final  toot."  About  six  hundred  were  stretched 
out  in  their  bunks,  some  sick,  some  smoking,  while  the 
other  one  hundred  were  either  gambling  or  looking  over 
the  shoulders  of  those  who  were  gambling.  Some 
climbed  upon  boxes,  and  stretched  their  necks  that  they 
might  see  who  won  and  lost.  Being  accompanied  by  an 
officer,  we  marched  up  to  the  table  and  saw  the  gam- 
bling kings  taking  in  the  hard-earned  cash  from  the  men 
who  had  labored  for  years  to  obtain  it.  One  flickering 
light  in  the  center  of  the  table  dimly  revealed  excited  eyes 
and  faces  quivering  under  the  terrible  strain.  Men  re- 
sembled demons  as  they  moved  back  and  forth  under 
the  vessel's  rocking,  housed  away  below  the  water-line, 
where  perpetual  gloom  prevails.  I  am  reliably  informed 
that  men,  having  lost  every  dollar  in  that  gambling  den, 
have  been  known  to  rush  upon  the  quarter-deck  and  leap 
into  the  sea,  preferring  to  offer  themselves  as  food  for 
the  sharks  rather  than  return  penniless  to  China. 

We  are  now  three  days'  journey  from  Japan,  yet  the 
ameliorating  influence  of  the  Japan  current  is  felt,  and 
the  thermometer  rises  to  our  entire  satisfaction,  as  we 
have  had  a  medley  of  weather  since  embarking.  After 
the  storm  of  Saturday,  which  absolutely  baffles  de- 
scription, we  were  treated  to  rain,  sleet,  and  snow,  and 
now  a  warmer  clime  is  appreciated  and  welcomed  as  a 
long-absent  friend. 


Crossing  the  Pacific.  49 

SATURDAY. 

The  firebel'  sounded  at  four  o'clock,  and  the  ship's 
crew  hastily  assembled  on  the  upper  deck,  manned  the 
lifeboats,  and  directed  four  streams  of  water  in  as  many 
directions.  It  was  a  false  signal,  and  the  bugles  gave 
the  call  "To  your  places,"  and  the  excitement  was  soon 
over.  The  full  number  of  men  (when  all  places  are 
filled)  in  the  crew  is  three  hundred.  From  what  I  have 
seen  during  the  past  two  weeks,  I  am  thoroughly  con- 
vinced that  these  fire-fighters  are  never  handicapped  by 
a  water  famine.  A  false  alarm  is  turned  in  frequently, 
I  am  told,  in  order  to  drill  the  men  and  fit  them  for  any 
emergency. 

SUNDAY. 

If  this  day  had  been  made  to  order,  I  am  confident 
that  the  venerable  Hicks,  of  almanac  fame,  could  not 
have  improved  upon  it.  At  this  time  last  Sunday  we 
were  emerging  from  the  greatest  storm  with  which 
this  vessel  ever  fought.  I  am  told  to-day  by  an  officer 
that  the  storm  of  Saturday  night  has  no  parallel  in  the 
ship's  history,  although  the  ship  was  damaged  much 
more  severely  in  a  previous  encounter,  to  which  I  al- 
luded under  another  date.  I  had  often  read  about  the 
severity  of  ocean  tempests  and  the  danger  connected 
with  ocean  navigation,  and  for  months  I  have  thought 
about  how  tame  it  would  be  to  make  a  voyage  myself 
without  experiencing  at  least  enough  rough  weather  to 
test  the  skipper.  I  now  have  no  complaints  to  offer.  I 
am  satisfied,  and  will  be  perfectly  happy  if  the  weather 
continues  as  it  is  to-day  for  the  next  sixty  days'  voyaging 
yet  before  me.  Nothing  preventing,  we  shall  reach  Yo- 
kohama to-morrow  morning.  Not  a  ship  has  been  sighted 
the  past  two  weeks ;  no  evidence  of  civilization  has  come 

4 


5° 


Around  the  World. 


to  our  notice  excepting  some  rope,  which  may  have  been 
the  last  vestige  of  some  weaker  ship  that  failed  to  weather 
the  blast. 

MONDAY,    NOVEMBER    IJ ',    10,02. 

It  is  now  past  four  o'clock,  and  we  are  in  the  Bay 
of  Yeddo.  Numerous  towering  lighthouses  to  the  right 
and  left  tell  us  where  we  are  as  the  lights  flash  across 
the  quiet  water.  The  scenes  give  me  a  new  conception 
of  the  meaning  of  the  verse, 

"  There  are  lights  along  the  shore 
That  never  grow  dim." 

These  great  lights  indicate  great  expense.  But  why 
consider  the  expense  if  they  keep  the  ship  from  cutting 
her  throat  on  the  rocks  and  from  sending  to  a  watery 
grave  a  thousand  people?  We  are  anchored  outside  the 
Y(  ikohama  Harbor,  waiting  for  the  approach  of  the  quar- 
antine officer.  His  boat  arrives,  and  every  passenger 
is  examined  before  being  permitted  to  land.  We  are 
at  breakfast  as  the  doctor  enters,  and  one  look  at  us  is 
sufficient,  for  no  symptoms  are  present  except  increasing 
appetites. 

The  steerage  passengers  are  examined  thoroughly, 
for  among  them  disease  is  most  often  found.  The  ex- 
amination consumes  one  hour  and  a  half.  The  words 
"all  right"  are  spoken,  and  the  vessel  creeps  into  the 
harbor,  where  boats  from  the  hotels  meet  us.  In  ten 
minutes  we  are  ashore  in  a  foreign  land,  ready  for  the 
customs  examination  of  baggage,  which  takes  only  a 
few  minutes.  Then  come  the  jinrikshas,  each  ready 
to  wheel  us  to — they  care  not  where.  A  jinriksha  is  a 
two-wheeled  baby  buggy,  intended  to  carry  grown-up 
people.  Here  men  do  the  work  of  horses,  over  a  million 
men  being  thus  employed  in  Japan  alone,  a  country  of 


Crossing  the  Pacific.  a 

forty-five  million  people,  and  having  an  area  equal  to 
California. 

The  jinriksha  rate  is  ten  cents  per  hour,  and  the 
rate  at  which  those  men  run  with  a  heavy  man  is  a 
surprise  to  strangers.  At  twelve  o'clock  tiffin  (lunch) 
was  announced,  and  it  surprised  me  more  than  even  the 
'riksha  men  with  their  running.  Lunch  consisted  of 
seventeen  courses,  and  I  am  frank  to  admit  that  I  never 
saw  its  equal  elsewhere.  Three  other  Americans  join 
in  the  same  verdict.  The  room  assigned  me  is  princely. 
I  was  never  assigned  a  superior. 

Those  who  have  followed  me  thus  far  observe  that 
I  avoid  generalizing,  and  present  particulars.  I  have 
read  the  writings  of  travelers  for  years,  and  all  were 
given  too  much  to  generalities  to  the  painful  exclusion 
of  particulars ;  hence  I  desire  to  strike  an  unstruck  chord 
on  the  literature  of  travel.  "An  honest  confession  is 
good  for  the  soul."  I  propose  also  to  write  more  about 
the  people  than  about  cathedrals,  temples,  etc. ;  yet  those 
creations  of  man's  genius  shall  not  be  slighted. 

Surrounded  by  scenes  and  life  totally  different  from 
any  I  had  ever  dreamed  of  or  anticipated,  I  shall  halt 
and  write  more  fully  when  I  have  completed  my  sur- 
vey of  the  city  and  its  surroundings,  and  have  accus- 
tomed myself  to  actually  believe  that  I  see  what  I  see. 

"  Pass  not  unmarked  the  island  in  that  sea, 

Where  nature  claims  the  most  celebrity, 

Half  hidden,  stretching  in  a  lengthened  line 

In  front  of  China,  which  its  guide  shall  be, 
Japan  abounds  in  mines  of  silver  fine, 
And  shall  enlightened  be  by  holy  faith  divine." 


IV. 
JAPAN. 

THE  LAND  OF  THE  RISING  SUN — A  LAND  OF  OPPOSITES — 
A  BUDDHIST  TEMPLE — MANNERS  AND  CUSTOMS — VISIT 
TO    TOKIO,    OSAKA,     KOBE,    AND    NAGASAKI. 

Japan  has  been  called  "The  Pearl  of  the  East,"  "The 
Diamond  of  Asia,"  and  "The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun ;" 
but  I  would  call  it  "The  Land  of  Opposites." 

In  America  weeping  is  noticed  at  funeral  services ; 
here  laughter  prevails  when  a  loved  one  passes  away 
and  during  the  funeral  service.  When  a  man  steps  down 
street  to  notify  the  people  of  the  death  of  his  son,  daugh- 
ter, or  parents,  he  laughs  as  if  he  were  telling  good  news, 
but  it  is  his  way  of  mourning.  The  corpse  is  placed 
in  a  sitting  posture,  with  his  head  bent  forward,  and  the 
law  forbids  the  burial  taking  place  within  twenty-four 
hours  of  death. 

Here  women  wear  neither  hats  nor  bonnets,  and, 
after  miles  of  travel  on  the  streets  of  Tokio,  I  believe 
I  am  safe  in  asserting  that  half  of  the  men  are  hatless, 
and,  further,  do  not  own  hats  because  they  are  regarded 
as  superflous.  The  Japanese  have  reduced  the  absence  of 
clothing  to  an  art,  the  police  finding  it  difficult  to  keep 
nude  pedestrians  off  the  streets.  All  the  port  cities  now 
require  that  some  clothing  be  worn ;  but  I  have  seen 
multitudes  of  all  ages  and  description,  whose  photo- 
graphs would  not  pass  muster  at  a  Parisian  art  exhibit. 

52 


Japan.  53 

Here  pedestrians  turn  to  the  left  in  passing  their 
fellows.  Those  not  accustomed  ^o  it  usually  collide  with 
nearly  every  person,  as  a  collision  is  inevitable  when  two 
persons  try  to  pass  on  the  same  track. 

It  is  the  fashion  for  married  women  to  blacken  their 
teeth  to  indicate  that  they  are  married,  and  to  prevent 
men  from  falling  in  love  with  them,  while  American 
women  use  every  effort  to  keep  them  white.  I  am  glad 
to  announce  that  the  fashion  of  blacking  the  teeth  is 
losing  ground,  though  a  common  sight. 

When  a  distinguished  official  passes  through  the 
streets  on  state  occasions,  no  one  is  permitted  to  be  on 
the  second  floor  of  any  building  along  the  street  traversed, 
as  it  is  an  offense  to  look  down  upon  a  gentleman  of  high 
authority.  Not  only  must  one  be  on  a  level,  but  the 
bow  must  reach  to  the  ground  as  the  god  in  human 
form  passes  along.  In  Japan,  politeness  has  gone  to  seed. 
The  other  day,  while  waiting  for  a  train  at  Shinagawa, 
I  tossed  a  half-penny  among  some  little  tots.  The  mother 
of  the  child  that  secured  the  coin  bowed  in  a  manner 
that  would  make  a  beggar  in  America  feel  himself  a 
king,  and  the  little  fellow  marched  out  and  bowed.  A 
Frenchman  can  not  equal  a  Japanese  in  bowing. 

The  day  I  arrived  in  Yokohama  I  was  invited  to  the 
dedicatory  service  of  the  new  building  for  girls'  school 
under  the  management  of  the  Woman's  Foreign  Mis- 
sionary Society.  There  politeness  seemed  to  me  to  be 
overdone.  The  uncounted  bows  indulged  in  were  a  com- 
plete surprise  to  me.  When  introduced,  those  Japanese 
girls  bowed  in  a  way  I  shall  not  undertake  to  describe. 
A  biograph  is  the  only  machine  that  will  do  the  subject 
justice.  Just  before  the  service  began,  three  young  ladies 
entered  and  found  three  vacant  seats :  but  all  stood  in 
the  aisle,  each  bowing  to  the  other,  as  it  was  a  breach 


54 


Around  the  World. 


of  etiquette  for  either  to  go  first  without  indicating  by 
multitudinous  bows  that  the  others  should  precede. 

The  one  that  bows  the  lowest  and  longest  is  consid- 
ered the  most  polite ;  so  they  tried  themselves,  being  in 
the  center  of  a  large  audience.  Often  ten  minutes  is  thus 
consumed  in  formality,  and  when  it  is  all  over,  the  one 
nearest  the  entrance  to  the  pew  precedes  as  if  nothing 
had  happened,  when  in  fact  nothing  but  foolishness  had 
taken  place.  After  the  dedicatory  service,  the  ladies 
served  luncheon  in  the  dining-hall,  where  further  op- 
portunity was  given  to  study  things  Japanese.  In  the 
afternoon  I  accepted  an  invitation  to  speak  to  the  stu- 
dents of  the  Anglo-Japanese  school  in  the  Assembly  Hall. 
This  was  the  most  novel  experience.  I  stood  upon  the 
platform  with  the  interpreter  by  my  side.  I  would  speak 
from  three  to  five  sentences ;  then  my  sentences  would 
be  put  into  Japanese,  and  spoken  as  rapidly  as  I  had  orig- 
inally delivered  them.  The  interpreter  being  quite  ex- 
pert, having  done  work  of  the  kind  for  twenty-three 
years,  was  able  to  let  me  speak  for  five  minutes  at  a  time 
during  the  latter  part  of  my  address,  then  take  the  floor 
and  report  every  sentence  and  with  oratorical  rapidity 
and  inflection. 

While  entertained  at  the  home  of  Rev.  Dr.  Julius 
Soper,  I  was  the  recipient  of  an  invitation  to  attend  a 
formal  Japanese  tea  to  be  given  by  the  ladies  of  the 
Tokio  Anglo-Japanese  College.  I  went  at  the  hour  ap- 
pointed. A  young  lady  met  me  at  the  door,  and  escorted 
me  through  the  hall  to  the  reception-room  door,  where 
the  real  formality  began.  She  was  sent  to  the  door  wear- 
ing American  shoes,  so  that  she  might  remove  a  little  of 
my  embarrassment  by  sitting  upon  the  floor  with  me  and 
removing  her  shoes  as  I  removed  mine.  Ordinarily  Jap- 
anese wear  nothing  in  the  way  of  shoes  except  the'  soles 


Japan.  55 

fastened  to  the  feet  by  bands  passing'  between  the  first 
and  second  toes.  The  shoes  removed,  we  were  ushered 
into  a  room  where  ten  young  ladies  were  sitting  shoe- 
less upon  the  floor  in  a  semi-circle.  By  moving  in  either 
direction,  a  space  was  left  for  me  almost  in  the  center, 
where  I  bade  good-bye  to  American  customs  and  took 
my  place  upon  the  well-matted  floor.  There  I  was,  upon 
the  floor  in  my  pulpit  suit  and  no  shoes,  with  five  young 
ladies  dressed  in  tea-gowns  on  either  side,  the  hostess 
in  one  corner  of  the  room,  sitting  as  she  busied  herself, 
after  my  reception,  in  preparing  to  serve  her  guests  with 
what  is  beyond  the  range  of  description.  Before  her  was 
her  charcoal  fire  and  various  utensils  for  preparing  and 
serving.  It  was  arranged  that  my  position  should  be 
between  two  students  who  had  been  studying  English 
for  several  years,  and  could  explain  the  program  as  it 
progressed,  thereby  preventing  me  from  multiplying 
blunders.  One  person  is  served  at  a  time,  and  the  pro- 
cedure is  that  formal  and  vexatious  that  it  requires  two 
hours  to  dispose  of  a  dozen  guests.  Not  being  used  to 
making  a  cushion  out  of  my  feet,  I  made  no  effort  to 
prolong  the  function. 

Japanese  houses  have  no  beds,  tables,  or  chairs,  ail 
of  which  they  consider  useless  and  in  the  way.  They 
sleep  on  the  floor,  sit  on  the  floor,  and  eat  wherever  they 
happen  to  be.  Some  eat  their  meals  as  they  walk  the 
street.  When  the  meals  are  served  at  home,  small  stands 
six  inches  high  are  often  provided,  upon  which  the  dish 
or  dishes  are  placed,  each  person  having  a  separate  stand. 
Chopsticks  take  the  place  of  knives,  forks,  and  spoons. 
A  block  of  wood  serves  as  a  pillow.  Their  shoes  are  al- 
ways left  outside ;  we  always  take  ours  inside,  and  some 
Americans  have  been  known  to  wear  their  shoes  while 
they   slept.      Babies   are  invariably   carried   strapped   to 


c;6  Around  the  World. 

the  mother's  back  like  papooses.  Carpenters  pull  their 
planes  to  them,  while  Americans  push.  Screws  turn  to 
the  left.  Saws  are  made  to  cut  on  the  upward  stroke. 
About  the  only  sound  or  sight  that  bore  the  American 
brand  was  the  rendition  of  "Marching  through  Georgia," 
to-day  on  the  streets  of  Tokio,  by  a  uniformed  Japanese 
brass  band.  The  next  selection  was  "Yankee  Doodle." 
They  are  in  love  with  American  music,  having  heard  our 
bands  at  Yokohama,  en  route  to  Manila. 

In  America,  young  men  and  maidens  of  ten  make 
engagements  regardless  of  the  parents'  wishes,  but  here 
the  parents  make  the  arrangements  without  considering 
or  consulting  the  children.  Frequently  the  bride  and 
groom  never  see  each  other  till  the  wedding-day.  The 
more  recent  plan  is  to  allow  them  to  meet  once  before 
the  nuptial-day,  and  if  either  is  displeased  the  negotia- 
tions cease.  The  wedding  always  takes  place  at  the  home 
of  the  groom,  he  providing  the  wedding  dinner. 

Japanese  wear  white  for  mourning.  Here  man  and 
wife  do  not  walk  side  by  side.  He  precedes,  while  she 
tags  along  behind.  He  eats  first,  and  what  is  left  is 
hers  and  the  dog's.  In  America,  the  lady  is  served  first ; 
she  is  tendered  the  best  seat  at  the  table,  in  the  draw- 
ing-room, and  in  the  car.  Here,  if  any  one  stands,  it  is 
the  lady.  I  have  seen  women  enter  the  cars  and  stand 
until  they  saw  that  all  the  gentlemen  (?)  were  seated, 
then  find  seats  among  those  not  taken.  There  were  ladies 
elegantly  dressed  in  the  height  of  Japanese  fashion. 

Most  visitors  to  Japan  agree  in  their  praise  of  Japa- 
nese women.  One  said,  "She  is  so  charming  that  she 
deserves  better  treatment."  To  this  the  Japanese  re- 
plied, "It  is  just  because  she  is  kept  in  her  place  that 
she  is  so  charming."  Another  said,  "If  this  be  the  re- 
sult of  suppression  and  oppression,  then  these  are  not 


2 

T. 
X 


Japan.  57 

altogether  bad."  My  belief  is  that  tne  women  are  im- 
measuably  superior  to  the  men  (as  women  usually  are 
everywhere),  and  are  what  they  are  in  spite  of  their 
treatment. 

Not  over  a  mile  from  Yokohama  is  a  rice  plantation 
where  I  saw  ladies  gathering  rice.  They  waded  nearly 
knee-deep  in  water,  slush,  and  mud,  and  seemed  per- 
fectly contented.  Their  brothers,  no  doubt,  were  in  the 
city  pulling  jinrikshas  at  seven  cents  an  hour,  when  em- 
ployed. My  sympathy  for  the  girls  was  strong,  so  that 
I  felt  like  saying,  "I  '11  help  you."  On  longer  reflection 
I  decided  that  an  hour  in  that  slush  would  prepare  any 
American  for  the  hospital.  Mr.  McDowell,  an  alumnus 
of  Harvard  College,  who  accompanied  me  on  this  trip  to 
the  country,  explained  that  they  are  prepared  (or  think 
they  are)  for  such  work  and  exposure  by  taking  two  hot 
baths  daily,  the  water  at  no  degrees.  The  Japanese 
boast  that  they  take  two  hot  baths  daily,  from  the  cradle 
to  the  grave.  Every  city  is  supplied  with  scores  of  public 
bathhouses.  Some  are  free;  at  others  a  charge  of  one 
cent  per  bath  is  made. 

Men  here,  working  on  the  principle  that  everything 
should  bend  to  man's  will,  train  the  pear,  peach,  and 
plum  trees  so  that  the  limbs  run  on  frames  like  grape- 
vines in  America.  An  orchard  is  a  peculiar  sight,  no 
limbs  standing  upright. 

There  are  twenty-six  passenger  trains  daily  between 
Tokio  and  Yokohama.  I  have  made  the  trip  three  times, 
and  have  not  seen  a  conductor.  Every  one  is  required 
to  purchase  tickets,  which  are  shown  at  the  gate.  Once 
through  the  gate,  a  first,  second,  or  third  class  car  may 
be  taken,  according  to  ticket  purchased.  You  are  sup- 
posed to  know  when 'your  station  is  reached.  Leaving 
the  train,  you  pass  through  a  gate  where  your  ticket  is 


^  8  Around  the  World. 

taken  up.  A  smattering  of  the  Japanese  language  is 
necessary  for  one  in  order  to  get  along  smoothly.  Cross- 
ing the  Pacific,  I  picked  up  a  few  necessary  words  and 
phrases  by  the  aid  of  a  book,  assisted  by  Professor  Shi- 
moda.  The  word  for  ticket  is  kippu;  first-class  is  jo  to; 
station  at  Tokio  is  sliinbasJii.  Hence  a  person  at  Yoko- 
hama desiring  to  go  to  Tokio  simply  says  to  the  ticket 
agent,  "Shinbashi  kippu  joto." 

Opposition  to  the  world's  customs  is  found  in  the 
business  realm.  Here  small  quantities  are  quoted  at  lower 
rates  than  large  quantities.  Price  advances  in  propor- 
tion to  the  amount  wanted.  Exporters  affirm  that  they 
are  compelled  to  buy  in  small  quantities  day  after  day 
through  several  persons  in  order  to  fill  large  orders,  as  a 
Japanese  producer  or  wholesaler  considers  that  a  large 
single  order  indicates  that  the  goods  are  wanted  badly, 
and  a  higher  price  is  asked.  There  are  rare  exceptions 
to  this  rule.  On  the  other  hand,  people  are  advised  to 
offer  about  half  what  is  asked  for  goods  at  various 
stores  and  bazaars,  as  the  offer  of  one-half  the  price 
asked,  usually  purchases  the  article  in  question.  Great 
praise  is  due  to  the  Japanese  for  having  stamped  out 
the  opium  trade.  It  is  now  an  offense  punishable  with 
fine  and  imprisonment  to  be  found  in  possession  of  an 
opium  pipe. 

To  the  disgrace  of  Japan  it  must  be  asserted  that 
the  government  sanctions  the  sale  of  women  and  girls 
into  the  worst  form  of  human  slavery.  Through  the 
efforts  of  the  Salvation  Army,  a  decree  was  issued  by 
the  Mikado  making  it  possible  for  the  person  sold  to 
avoid  the  sale  at  her  discretion.  But  the  loyalty  of  the 
girls  to  their  parents  is  so  intense  that  they  patiently 
endure  their  term  of  bondage  rather  than  cause  their 
parents  to  return  the  purchase  price  or  lose  their  home 


Japan.  59 

on  account  of  failure  to  return  the  cash  advanced  on  the 
sale  of  the  daughter  or  wife. 

It  is  strange,  in  a  land  where  the  principal  proverb 
is  "Never  trust  a  woman,"  that  there  are,  broadly  speak- 
ing, no  bachelors  or  old  maids,  but  divorce  is  common. 
In  1899  there  were  two  divorces  for  three  marriages. 
Among  the  grounds  recognized  for  granting  divorces  are, 
disobedience,  jealousy,  talking  too  much,  and  thievish- 
ness.  Fashions  seldom  change,  and  dresses  are  handed 
down  from  generation  to  generation — or  till  worn  out. 

January  is  the  universal  birthday  in  Japan.  They 
pay  no  attention  to  clays  or  months  in  the  ages  of  people. 
Every  child  born  during  an  entire  year  is  one  year  old 
till  January  1st,  then  it  becomes  two  years  old.  A  child 
born  in  December  is  two  years  old  on  January  1st,  when 
in  reality,  according  to  American  ideas,  it  is  scarcely  a 
month  old. 

All  the  girls  celebrate  their  yearly  holiday  on  March 
3d,  while  the  boys  celebrate  on  May  5th. 

Nearly  all  the  cats  of  Japan  are  tailless,  or  have  very 
short  tails.  The  peculiarity  is  natural.  If  a  cat  happens 
to  develop  a  tail  it  is  quickly  chopped  off  by  some  one 
who  considers  himself  specially  called  to  assist  Japan 
in  remaining  what  it  is  to  foreigners,  a  land  of  surprises. 

Japan  architecture  is  unique.  The  front  of  the  house 
is  usually  open  from  wall  to  wall  during  the  day.  At 
night  sliding  or  folding  doors  are  utilized.  The  par- 
titions, where  there  are  any,  are  composed  of  light  frames 
filled  in  with  paper.  The  vast  majority  of  the  houses, 
size  about  ten  feet  square,  are  so  constructed  that  privacy 
is  impossible,  and  the  evidences  indicate  that  it  is  com- 
paratively unknown.  Many  who  have  been  abroad  are 
adopting  foreign  styles,  customs,  and  equipment ;  but  it 
will  be  years  before  old  Japan  changes  her  dress  entirely. 


60  Around  the  World. 

A  medley  of  vegetable  growth  greets  the  beholder. 
Beside  the  pine  is  the  bamboo;  alongside  the  wheat-field 
is  the  rice-field ;  in  the  gardens  vegetables  are  now  in 
abundance  along  with  chrysanthemums.  Palms  and 
oranges  keep  each  other  company.  In  all  there  are  2,743 
species  of  plants  and  flowers  in  the  Japanese  register. 
In  the  forests  of  Japan,  though  insignificant,  there  arc 
178  species,  while  in  all  Europe  there  are  only  85  species, 
and  only  155  in  Atlantic  North  America. 

Fisbing  is  a  great  industry.  Besides  using  nets,  many 
use  the  cormorant.  The  bird  is  held  securely  with  a 
cord ;  a  metal  ring  is  put  around  her  neck  so  she  can 
not  swallow  the  fish.  After  her  throat  and  neck  are  quite 
swollen  by  the  lodged  fish,  she  is  pulled  into  the  boat 
and  relieved  of  her  burden,  and  sent  out  again.  Fisher- 
men say  that  a  cormorant  in  this  way  catches  for  them 
one  hundred  and  fifty  fish  per  hour. 

There  are  but  few  horses  here,  and,  strange  to  say, 
the  price  is  quite  low.  A  good  horse  is  valued  at  from 
$10  to  $15.  They  are  not  wanted,  because  they  are  un- 
able to  compete  with  the  'riksha  men.  The  Japanese 
ties  his  horse  by  roping  his  front  legs  together.  He 
reasons  that  a  horse  will  never  get  away  as  long  as  his 
feet  are  motionless,  while  the  American  would  tie,  not 
the  part  that  runs,  but  the  part  that  eats. 

Tokio  covers  one  hundred  square  miles,  and  has  a  pop- 
ulation of  one  million  four  hundred  thousand.  Its  chief 
hotels  are  the  Imperial,  Tokio,  and  the  Club ;  its  chief 
parks,  the  Shiba,  Ueno,  and  Asakusa.  Its  temples  number 
about  eight  hundred.  Its  chief  institution  of  learning  is 
the  Imperial  University,  it  being  the  institution  of  all 
Japan.  The  Shiba  temple  is  called  the  marvel  of  Japanese 
art,  and  should  be  visited  and  compared  with  those  of 
Nikko,  the  city  of  temples. 


Japan.  6 1 

Every  one  visiting  Tokio  should  include  a  compass 
in  his  equipment,  and  be  a  surveyor  whenever  lost.  The 
streets  evidently  were  laid  out  by  a  blindfolded  guesser. 
There  are  few  sidewalks,  and,  excepting  in  the  Ginza, 
the  principal  street,  the  people  walk  or  ride  in  the  mid- 
dle of  the  street.  Children,  cats,  dogs,  chickens,  jin- 
rikshas,  hurrying  crowds  with  clattering  feet  shod  with 
wood, — all  surge  through  streets  not  half  wide  enough 
for  an  American  alley.  Many  of  the  streets  have  wells 
taking  up  nearly  half  the  space,  each  well  having  a  curb- 
ing rising  two  or  three  feet  above  the  level  of  the  street. 
The  old-fashioned,  balanced  long  pole  and  rope  are  still 
in  fashion.  Cook-stoves  are  very  scarce,  and  the  good 
wife  prepares  the  meal,  takes  it  to  a  public  bake-oven 
close  by — for  they  are  numerous — pays  a  cent  for  having 
it  cooked,  and  carries  it  home  to  the  one  who  bosses  the 
house.  He  is  too  much  of  a  rascal  to  buy  a  cooking  out- 
fit, and  ought  to  be  pushed  into  the  Pacific  Ocean ;  but 
she  works  on,  and  dares  not  grow  weary,  bearing  her 
burden  in  a  manner  that  would  be  tolerated  by  an  Amer- 
ican women  about  the  millioneth  part  of  a  second. 

But  there  is  hope.  Christianity  is  getting  a  footing, 
and  where  it  is  planted  conditions  change  for  the  better. 
Christianity,  says  history,  has  unlocked  the  fetters  from 
woman,  which  explains  in  tones  unmistakable  why  so 
many  women  are  Christian. 

I  am  making  a  study  of  missions,  and  have  found 
the  Christian  home  a  paradise  in  Japan  compared  with  the 
non-Christian.  Let  no  man  raise  either  his  hand  or  his 
voice  against  missions,  for  the  Christian  homes  of  Japan 
rise  in  unimpeachable  testimony  against  him.  The  dif- 
ference between  Christian  and  pagan  Japan  is  the  differ- 
ence between  the  brightest  daylight  and  the  blackest 
darkness.     The   Christian  man  and  wife  go  to  church 


62 


Around  the  World. 


side  by  side,  with  the  little  ones  joyfully  playing  about 
them,  and  all  are  happy — a  blessed  family.  The  pagan 
man  and  wife  go  to  the  temple  of  Buddha,  not  side  by 
side,  but  she  mopes  along  in  the  rear,  downcast,  gloomy. 
A  big  child,  that  ought  to  walk,  is  strapped  to  her  back, 
as  she  is  only  a  burden-bearer,  and  must  be  kept  in  prac- 
tice whether  the  child  should  be  carried  or  not.  In  the 
Christian  home  the  woman  is  queen,  her  rightful  God- 
created  position.  In  the  pagan  home  she  is  treated  like 
a  dog,  or  even  worse  than  the  lowest  breed  of  American 
hounds. 

The  time  is  coming  when  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ 
will  proclaim  the  emancipation  of  woman  in  Japan,  or  the 
knights  of  America  and  Europe  will  rise,  buckle  on  their 
armor,  and  rescue  their  neighboring  sisters.  My  faith  in 
the  former  is  strong,  and  may  best  be  expressed  in  the 
words  of  that  eminent  scholar,  Dr.  J.  P.  John,  who  said, 
"Whoever  or  whatever  would  outrun  the  gospel  of  Jesus 
Christ  must  measure  footsteps  with  the  eternal  God." 

Statisticians  follow  people  from  the  cradle  to  the  grave. 
Figures  are  on  record  showing  that  a  Japanese  can  and 
does  live  on  an  outlay  of  two  and  one-half  cents  per 
day.  While  living  is  cheap,  it  is  also  inexpensive  to  die. 
Here  are  the  figures  showing  the  expense  of  one  funeral : 


Sen. 

Cost  of  Coffin, 40.0 

Cost  of  Cremation 75.0 

Flowers, 5 

Physician's  certificate,  .  .  10.0 
Fee  to  Buddhist  Priest,  .  .  3.0 
Fee  to  coffin  bearers,  .    .    .    14.0 


tT.  S.  Money. 
£0.20 

•375 
.0025 

•05 

.015 

.07 


$0.7125 


Total, 142.5 

A  first-class  funeral  for  less  than  seventy-five  cents 
seems  preposterous,  but  here  the  most  unexpected  is  al- 
ways in  evidence. 


Japan.  63 

When  presenting  a  friend  with  a  present,  whether 
cheap  or  very  expensive,  the  donor  must  apologize  by 
saving:  "It  is  so  cheap  and  insignificant  that  I  am 
ashamed  to  lift  it  before  your  honorable  vision;  but  if 
you  will  condescend  to  accept  it,  it  will  make  me  very 
happy."  He  (or  she)  lifts  it  up,  saying:  "It  is  the  most 
beautiful  present  on  earth."  The  other  day  a  lady  pre- 
sented a  neighbor  with  some  eggs,  and  said :  "I  assure 
you  that  these  eggs  are  bad,  quite  bad,  but  I  hope  they 
will  be  of  service  to  you."  A  student  at  Tokio  was  re- 
quested to  prepare  an  essay  on  the  subject,  "The  Eng- 
lishman." I  copy  two  sentences  as  they  appeared:  "He 
are  not  allowed  it  to  escape  if  he  did  siezed  something. 
Being  spread,  his  dominion  is  dreadfully  extensive  so 
that  his  countryman  boastally  say,  'the  sun  are  never 
sets  on   our  dominions.'  " 

The  English  language  is  almost  invariably  butchered 
when  used  by  the  Japanese.  Many  signs  are  written  in 
both  English  and  Japanese.  The  representative  of  the 
New  York  Life  Insurance  Company  assured  me  that 
there  was  not  a  single  sign  in  Tokio  correctly  written. 
After  spending  five  days  in  Tokio,  I  am  ready  to  give 
several  signs  a  passing  grade,  but  am  also  ready  to  reg- 
ister my  conviction  that  more  ludicrous  specimens  have 
not  come  to  my  notice.  Among  those  that  may  be  printed 
without  violating  rules  of  propriety  are  the  following: 

".Modified  mii.k  for  the  scientific  Feeding  0f  in- 
fants." 

"Fresh  milk  extracted  here  daiey." 

iAmong  the  many  sights  novel,  quaint,  and  interesting, 
none  were  so  fraught  with  meaning  to  me  as  the  specta- 
cle presented  at  each  visit  to  the  Buddhist  temple  in 
Asakusa  Park.  This  park  is  situated  near  the  center 
of  Tokio,  the  largest  city  of  the  empire.     The  temple  is 


64  Around  the  World. 

about  one  hundred  feet  square,  and  approached  on  the 
three  open  sides  by  a  dozen  steps  running  the  entire  length 
and  breadth  of  the  temple,  the  nave  being  supported  by 
pilasters.  I  changed  my  position  as  the  interest  shifted 
from  one  side  to  the  other,  so  that  nothing  might  escape 
my  notice. 

The  position  most  sought  by  the  surging  crowds  was 
immediately  in  front  of  the  altar,  in  front  of  which  was 
the  large  hopper,  ten  by  twelve  feet  and  three  feet 
deep,  into  which  the  worshipers  threw  their  cash.  In 
front  of  the  hopper  is  a  telegraph  pole,  upon  which  some 
of  the  most  devout  knelt  as  they  prayed  to  Buddha.  This 
pole  was  worn  as  smooth  as  finished  mahogany  by  the 
thousands  who  had  touched  it  with  their  knees.  Not  all 
could  kneel,  making  it  necessary  for  hundreds  to  stand. 
I  can  still  see  that  motley  crowd  as  it  pushed  into  the 
temple.  I  look  out  and  see  the  people  approaching  in 
three  directions.  The  sides  of  the  temple  are  all  open 
to  permit  ingress.  They  approach  as  near  the  altar  as 
they  can.  Every  man,  woman,  and  child  in  the  rear  then 
hurls  coins  over  the  heads  of  those  in  front.  I  see  many 
glistening  coins  in  the  air  at  the  same  moment,  flying 
towards  the  hopper.  They  produce  a  din  as  they  fall 
upon  the  metallic  lining,  much  worn  by  many  a  shower. 
The  gift  made,  each  person  doffs  the  hat,  if  one  is  worn, 
the  hands  are  clapped  to  call  the  attention  of  Buddha, 
the  head  is  bowed  with  great  politeness,  the  prayer  is 
offered  either  in  silence  or  audibly,  a  bow  is  made,  and 
away  goes  the  worshiper  to  his  home  or  business,  having 
consumed  scarcely  two  minutes  within  the  temple.  In 
this  way  the  temple  is  able  to  accommodate  tens  of  thou- 
sands daily.  Occasionally  the  Buddhist  priest  opens  the 
lower  part  of  the  hopper,  and  what  rattles  like  a  bushel 
of  money   rolls   down   before  this    Buddhist   master   of 


Japan.  65 

ceremonies.  Many  votaries  of  this  heathen  worship, 
who  do  not  know  any  prayers,  hasten  to  a  Buddhist 
priest  who  sits  at  the  side  of  the  altar.  They  pay  him 
a  few  cents  to  purchase  prayers,  written  apparently  by 
the  priest  upon  a  mimeograph.  A  thousand  are  printed 
from  one  copy,  and  are  sold  for  cash  to  his  miserahle 
followers,  who  yearn  for  knowledge  of  the  true  God, 
but  are  fed  with  error  instead  of  truth. 

The  chief  aim  of  the  Buddhist  appears  to  be  to  de- 
stroy Christianity,  for  Christianity  destroys  heathenism 
in  every  fair  contest.  Many  who  buy  the  prayers,  and 
are  unable  to  read  them,  chew  the  paper  to  pulp,  and 
throw  them  at  the  image,  hoping  that  the  prayers  will, 
in  this  way,  reach  their  destination.  Others,  who  are 
afflicted  with  some  disease,  not  only  go  through  the  per- 
formances just  described,  but  they  also  go  to  the  "God 
of  Health,"  made  of  stone,  which  stands  on  a  pedestal 
on  the  right  of  the  altar.  They  rub  their  hands  over  the 
part  of  the  god  corresponding  with  the  part  afflicted, 
then  quickly  rub  the  parts  of  their  bodies  diseased,  ex- 
pecting thereby  to  be  cured  of  their  infirmities.  A  wo- 
man with  a  raving  toothache  approaches  for  relief.  She 
rubs  the  jaw  of  the  image  with  her  right  hand,  then  rub? 
her  face  and  chin  with  great  exertion.  Another  woman 
hastens  to  the  image.  She  desires  to  nourish  her  child, 
and  rubs  the  breast  of  the  god,  then  rubs  her  own  breast 
till  tired.  She  steps  away,  and  my  jinriksha  man,  desir- 
ing to  strengthen  his  limbs  for  fast  running,  rubs  the 
limbs  of  the  god,  then  rubs  his  own  ankles  and  limbs. 
And  the  procession  is  endless  during  the  day,  and  dies 
out  only  when  night  approaches. 

Men  and  women  of  America,  what  think  you  of 
heathen  darkness? 

I    am    of   the   opinion    that    no    fair-minded    man   or 

5 


60  Around  the  World. 

woman  can  look  upon  these  scenes  without  saying,  "God 
helping  me,  I  '11  be  a  Christian  now  and  forever." 

Notwithstanding  the  many  discouragements  besetting 
the  reformer  in  Japan,  there  are  evidences  of  a  great 
awakening.  A  new  Japan  is  developing,  and  one  en- 
thusiast has  said  he  would  not  be  surprised  to  hear  of 
Japan  proclaiming  herself  Christian  in  a  day.  Such 
a  sudden  transformation  would  not  be  best.  Reforma- 
tions require  time.  New  Japan  will  some  day  develop 
a  Lincoln,  who  will  strike  the  shackles  from  five  hun- 
dred thousand  female  slaves,  now  under  contract  sale, 
signed  by  themselves  and  their  parents. 

Every  phase  of  life  is  in  slow  transition.  The  gov- 
ernment is  sending  hundreds  of  her  best  students  to 
America  and  Europe  to  study  science,  art,  philosophy, 
and  civil  government.  Their  return  is  accompanied  with 
the  introduction  of  Western  ideas,  customs,  and  man- 
ners. Already  some  of  them  have  really  begun  to  love 
the  coy  butterflies  formerly  regarded  as  soulless.  Old 
Japan  looks  upon  this  recognition  of  woman  as  the  fore- 
runner of  the  direst  calamity.  All,  except  the  few  who 
have  been  influenced  by  Western  ideas,  believe  that  wo- 
man has  no  soul  and  is  not  worthy  the  love  of  man.  A 
Japanese  poet  of  the  new  school  has  penned  a  little  jingle, 
presenting  a  story  of  two  lovers,  who,  under  the  new 
influence,  had  abandoned  the  old  tandem  form  of  prom 
enade,  and  were  actually  strolling  hand  in  hand.  It  is 
valuable  in  that  it  signals  the  dawn  of  a  new  era.  I 
present  it  in  full : 

"Over  the  water  the  rising  moon 
Floated  her  golden  hair, 
That  rimpled  and  curled  in  the  low-blown  wind, 
From  the  quays  to  her  forehead  fair. 


Japan.  67 

And  round  each  notch  of  the  leaden  shore, 

Where  the  slim  creeks  softly  bled 
Their  lives  away,  in  a  strange  wild  sea, 

She  broidered  a  golden  thread. 

While  down  where  the  long  white-fingered  pier 

The  waves  with  cool  tongues  lap, 
Two  lovers  were  straying,  who  crossed  the  fields 

Of  the  moon's  round  golden  map. 

And  midway  the  Lunar-meadow's  length 

Their  inky  shadows  kissed, 
Then  passed  like  midgets,  hand  in  hand, 

Out  in  the  shade  and  mist. 

Ah,  if  lovers  do  n't  want  their  trystings  known, 

Nor  their  kisses  to  gossip  strewn, 
They  must  do  their  strolling  in  shady  spots, 

And  their  kissing  behind  the  moon  !" 

The  first  four  stanzas  contain  flashes  that  would  have 
added  to  the  pages  of  Tennyson,  while  the  fifth  stanza 
is  less  open  to  criticism  than  many  from  the  pen  of  the 
laureate. 

In  my  Tokio  paragraph  I  referred  to  the  marriage 
customs  of  Japan ;  but  further  contact  with  the  Japanese 
leads  me  to  make  additional  allusion  to  the  important 
topic  of  marriage. 

The  parents,  if  they  have  been  unsuccessful  in  lead- 
ing their  children  into  matrimony,  secure  the  services  of 
professionals  called  go-betweens  or  match-makers.  An 
alliance  is  soon  made,  and  the  ceremony  follows,  although, 
in  the  Province  of  Shima,  it  is  customary  for  the  groom 
to  take  the  bride  on  trial.  If  she  suits  him  she  remains; 
otherwise  she  returns  to  her  own  home,  to  be  sent  out 
on  trial  with  the  first  applicant.  These  probationary 
periods  seldom  extend  over  a  greater  period  than  three 
years,  as  every  young  Jap  is  supposed  to  know  within 


68  Around  the  World. 

three  years  whether  his  wife  is  the  girl  for  him.  The 
people  of  this  province  permit  this  custom  on  the  ground 
that  it  prevents  divorce.  The  principal  part  of  the  mar- 
riage ceremony,  called  sansan-kiido,  consists  of  the  drink- 
ing of  sake  by  both  parties.  Jnst  nine  times  each  per- 
son must  drink  from  the  same  cup  alternately,  followed 
by  a  wedding  repast  accompanied  by  singing.  The  most 
important  dish  served  at  the  wedding  repast  is  clam 
broth,  the  clam  being  a  true  symbol  of  married  life, 
because  the  linings  of  each  pair  of  shells  are  so  arranged 
that  they  never  fit  any  separate  shell. 

There  are  as  many  customs  as  there  are  provinces  in 
Japan.  In  Awa  Province,  if  a  young  man,  by  his  own 
oversight  or  that  of  his  parents,  allows  himself  to  be- 
come a  bachelor,  and  is  able  to  support  a  wife,  his  friends 
hold  a  conference  or  primary  regarding  the  case.  This 
conference  decides  that  the  man  in  question  must  get 
married,  and  actually  selects,  without  his  consent,  the 
lady  who  must  become  his  wife.  Of  course,  she  is  not 
consulted,  for  in  heathen  lands  woman  is  not  to  be  con- 
sidered. The  young  man  and  lady  are  both  notified  of 
the  decision  of  the  conference,  and  are  requested  to  get 
married  at  once.  If  the  request  is  not  complied  with, 
they  proceed  to  carry  the  girl  to  the  house  of  the  man  by 
force.  She  is  there  asked  to  blacken  her  teeth.  If  she 
refuses,  some  one  holds  her  while  another  blows  some- 
thing black  like  unto  soot  into  her  mouth  from  his  own 
mouth.  This  is  regarded  as  an  unalterable  form  of 
engagement,  and  both  give  up  and  get  married.  A  more 
unique  antidote  for  bachelordom  never  came  to  my  notice. 
While  I  see  enough  here  to  call  this  empire  a  land  of 
freaks,  the  native,  looking  to  the  land  beyond  the  Pa- 
cific,  gives  America  the   same   appellation,   because  we 


Japan.  69 

tolerate  old  bachelors  and  old  maids  without  the  sem- 
blance of  prohibition. 

In  Shinano  Province  the  program  is  slightly  different, 
the  shoes  of  the  bride  being  thrown  upon  the  roof  of  the 
house  and  kept  there  during  the  ceremony.  In  Joshu 
province,  the  bride,  as  she  approaches  the  door  of  her  in- 
tended, is  compelled  to  leap  over  a  bamboo  pole.  If  it 
happens  to  be  placed  too  high  for  her  athletic  leap,  she 
must  try  again  until  success  crowns  her  efforts.  Such  a 
custom  introduced  in  America  would  draw  people  from 
the  adjoining  counties  as  witnesses. 

In  Hiroshima  the  bride  must  send  every  article  of 
clothing  she  expects  to  wear  at  the  ceremony  to  the  home 
of  the  groom  the  day  before  the  wedding.  Here  the  ar- 
ticles are  exhibited,  and  every  one  is  supposed  to  appear, 
inspect  the  garments,  and  offer  congratulations. 

In  Kita  Katsushika  the  wedding  dinner  must  consist 
of  four  courses  of  soup.  Between  the  courses  the  clothes 
must  be  changed,  pure  white  coming  first,  then  red,  black, 
and  the  choice  of  the  wearer  last.  This  can  be  observed 
only  among  the  more  wealthy,  unless  clothes  are  bor- 
rowed for  the  occasion. 

In  Kamishima  a  romance  accompanies  nearly  every 
wedding.  When  a  young  man  is  particularly  pleased 
with  a  girl,  he  loiters  about  her  domicile,  usually  after 
night,  until  he  spies  the  object  of  his  heart,  captures  her 
without  the  knowledge  of  her  parents,  carries  her  home 
on  his  shoulder,  and  the  following  day  sends  notice  to 
her  parents  of  their  daughter's  whereabouts.  If  the 
parents  are  displeased  with  the  abduction,  the  girl  is  sent 
for.  On  the  other  hand,  if  they  are  pleased,  they  pro- 
ceed to  his  house,  carrying  a  small  measure  of  rice  as  a 
present,  and  express  their  consent  to  the  proposal. 


jo  Around  the  World. 

In  Buko  District  the  consent  of  the  head  man  of  the 
village  must  be  secured  before  any  ceremony  is  per- 
missible. His  consent  is  never  given  till  part  of  the 
ceremony  is  performed.  He  then  appears  as  mayor  of 
the  town,  and  objects  or  consents.  If  he  objects,  the 
proceeding  halts.  If  he  is  willing,  he  manifests  it  by  de- 
manding a  marriage  tax  ranging  in  amounts  from  fif- 
teen cents  to  one  dollar  and  a  half,  the  amount  being 
conditioned  upon  the  circumstances  of  the  groom.  This 
tax  is  not  levied  on  the  fourth  marriage,  on  the  ground 
that  the  man  who  has  stood  the  ordeal  three  times  has 
contributed    his    share    to    the    world's   happiness. 

There  is  a  very  curious  custom  among  the  villagers 
of  Sagami  Province.  Here  two  young  men  are  stationed 
near  the  bride,  and  lash  her  ten  times  with  a  bundle  of 
straw  as  soon  as  the  ceremony  is  over.  They  take  the 
groom  and  throw  him  into  a  ditch  by  way  of  congratu- 
lation, and  are  as  earnest  and  conscientious  about  it  as 
the  people  of  America  when  they  extend  congratulations 
at  a  wedding. 

One  more  incident,  and  I  will  submit  the  question. 
In  Ebara  Province  all  the  couples  who  have  been  mar- 
ried within  the  province  during  the  year  are  assembled  on 
the  ground  of  the  Hachiman  temple  on  New- Year's  eve. 
The  men  are  stripped  of  their  clothes  excepting  the  loin- 
cloth, and  are  given  a  whipping  by  fifteen  young  men  se- 
lected for  that  purpose.  Each  young  man  treats  each 
married  man  to  one  stroke.  Every  wife  is  compelled  to 
be  present  and  observe  the  performance.  When  any  wife, 
through  sympathy  for  her  suffering  mate,  tries  to  run 
away  to  avoid  seeing  him  suffer,  she  is  caught,  and  is 
given  the  same  punishment  as  her  groom.  Less  tol- 
erant Americans  would  refuse  to  get  married  if  they 
knew  such  chastisement  awaited  them;  but  not  a  whit 


Japan.  71 

does  it  deter  the  brave  Japanese,  who,  looking  back  only 
a  few  decades,  observes  that  the  laws  of  Japan  then  pre- 
scribed compulsory  marriage  for  every  young  man  and 
maiden  having  attained  the  age  of  sixteen  years.  Prece- 
dent has  much  weight  in  present-day  life.  It  is  even  so 
in  America,  where  rice-showers  at  weddings  prevail,  a 
relic  of  heathen  countries. 

On  Thursday,  November  27th,  Thanksgiving-day, 
I  took  passage  at  Yokohama  for  Shanghai  via  the  Jap- 
anese Mail  Line.  The  harbor  at  Yokohama  was  full  of 
shipping,  the  most  savage-looking  vessel  being  the  British 
man-of-war,  the  flagship  of  the  admiral.  The  ocean  was 
on  her  good  behavior,  not  an  angry  breaker  to  mar  the 
quietness  of  an  ideal  Thanksgiving-day. 

Fujiyama's  snow-white  crest  presented  a  spectacle 
never  to  be  forgotten  as  the  descending  sun  held  sweet 
communion  with  the  towering  peak  long  after  the  fire- 
ball had  sunk  below  our  horizon.  Within  twentv-five 
hours  we  were  entering  the  harbor  at  Kobe,  where  acres 
of  shipping  indicated  a  business  center.  Here  was  an- 
chored the  City  of  Peking,  one  of  the  oldest  Hong-Kong- 
San  Francisco  liners.  Russian,  English,  German,  and 
Japanese  ships  were  in  abundance. 

As  our  ship  was  to  remain  in  Kobe  twenty-four  hours 
exchanging  mail  and  cargo,  I  took  advantage  of  the  time 
and  visited  Osaka,  twenty  miles  by  rail,  a  city  called  the 
Glasgow,  the  Chicago,  and  the  Venice  of  Japan.  Being 
one  of  the  three  capitals  of  the  empire,  and  having  a 
population  of  eight  hundred  and  twenty-one  thousand  in- 
habitants, its  importance  may  be  imagined.  Osaka  is 
noticed  in  history  in  1583,  when  laborers  were  called  from 
all  parts  of  Japan  to  build  the  imperial  castle.  This  cas- 
tle is  the  most  gigantic  structure  reared  by  the  hand  of 
man  in  the  empire,  and  I  have  never  seen  any  structure 


72 


Around  the  World. 


anywhere  that  would  presume  to  rival  it.  The  historian 
says :  "The  palace  within  the  castle  was  probably  the 
grandest  building  which  Japan  ever  boasted.  It  sur- 
vived the  taking  of  the  castle  in  1615;  and  in  1867  and 
1868  the  members  of  the  foreign  legations  were  received 
within  its  walls  by  the  last  of  the  Tokugawas."  Will 
Adams,  the  first  Englishman  to  arrive  in  Japan,  wrote : 
"The  1 2th  of  May,  1600,  I  came  to  the  great  King's 
citie,  who  caused  me  to  be  brought  into  his  court,  being 
a  wonderfully  costly  house  quilled  with  gold  in  abun- 
dance." Saris  wrote :  "We  found  Osaka  to  be  a  very  great 
towne,  as  great  as  London,  having  a  castle  in  it,  mar- 
velous large  and  strong,  with  very  deep  trenches  about 
it,  and  many  drawbridges  with  gates  plated  with  yron." 
Tbis  partly  describes  the  castle  as  it  appears  to-day. 
Bristling  cannon  crown  the  highest  parapet  and  numer- 
ous soldiers  are  on  duty  as  a  garrison. 

In  company  with  two  missionaries  en  route  to  China — 
one  from  Toronto,  Canada,  the  other  from  Pittsburg. 
Pa. — I  approached  the  entrance,  desiring  to  see  this  tow- 
ering stronghold.  At  the  one  entrance  we  were  met 
by  glistening  rifles  in  tbe  hands  of  blue-uniformed  sol- 
diers of  the  Imperial  Guard.  Each  wore  either  gold  or 
red  shoulder-straps,  and  had  the  appearance  of  trust- 
worthy, picked  men.  Believing  it  would  be  better  to 
stand  our  ground  than  to  run,  I  mustered  up  courage 
enough  to  tell  the  officer  that  we  desired  to  see  the  castle. 
He  knew  a  little  English,  and  replied  that  we  must  tell 
our  names,  business,  and  nationality,  which  we  did  at 
once.  He  replied :  "Americans,  all  right."  Tbat  was  a 
shock  to  my  friend  from  Toronto,  for  he  emphasized  the 
fact  of  his  "Canadian  citizenship,  which  is  British,  you 
know,"  and  he  was  about  to  be  barred  on  the  threshold 
of  the  castle  while  we  Americans  were  laughing  in  our 


Japan.  73 

sleeves  because  of  our  opportunity.  I  never  was  so  proud 
of  my  pedigree  before.  I  rejoiced  that  I  was  an  Amer- 
ican citizen.  I  had  heard  that  America  was  regarded 
as  foremost  among  the  nations  for  large-heartedness  and 
genuine  philanthropy,  but  did  not  expect  such  a  practical 
demonstration  of  American  preferment  to  occur  in  my 
own  history.  We  desired  to  have  our  Canadian-British 
friend  enter  through  the  gate  also,  and  our  desires  were 
fulfilled  after  a  season  of  diplomacy.  He  signed  a  paper, 
which  was  sent  to  the  highest  official  within,  stating  that 
a  British  subject  desired  admission.  The  reply  came  in 
due  time  that  he  might  be  admitted ;  so  we  entered,  no 
signatures  or  red  tape  being  required  of  us  who  hailed 
from  the  land  of  Washington.  We,  accompanied  by  a 
detachment  of  the  guard,  passed  the  bridges,  the  moats, 
ascended  wall  after  wall,  curved  around  projecting  bar- 
ricades, and  finally  reached  the  summit,  where  we  had 
a  splendid  view  of  the  city  and  far  out  into  the  country. 
The  city  of  nearly  a  million  seemed  to  nestle  at  our  feet 
as  the  horizon  leaped  farther  and  farther  as  each  higher 
parapet  was  scaled.  Looking  down  from  where  the  can- 
non rests,  it  seemed  improbable  that  any  force  could  ever 
take  that  stronghold.  The  walls  are  nearly  perpendic- 
ular, and  outside  the  outer  wall  is  a  moat  at  least  fifty 
feet  wide  and  filled  with  water,  requiring  two  years  in 
building,  employing  a  vast  army  of  men.  Some  of  the 
stones  are  forty  feet  long  and  fifteen  feet  wide.  How 
such  huge  rocks  were  ever  quarried  and  handled  remains 
an  enigma.  No  lifting  crane  in  use  to-day  would  dare 
undertake  such  a  burden. 

The  narrowest  streets  as  well  as  the  most  busy  ones 
I  ever  saw  are  in  Osaka.  On  some  of  the  business  streets 
two  persons  can  not  pass  each  other  with  raised  um- 
brellas.    There  and  at  Kobe  are  many  exporters  worth 


74  Around  the  World. 

millions  of  yen,  shipping  tea,  cotton,  rice,  and  matting 
to  the  ends  of  the  earth.  Many  a  box  and  package  I  saw 
billed  to  Chicago  and  New  York.  The  Japanese  eat 
everything  that  is  found  in  the  sea,  from  seaweed  to  the 
devil-fish.  The  fish  markets  are  even  more  interesting 
than  the  bazaars.  The  favorite  way  of  serving  fish, 
even  among  royalty,  in  Japan,  is  raw,  and  it  is  a  com- 
mon thing  to  see  coolies  walking  the  street  eating  those 
horrid-looking  devil-fish  fresh  from  the  ocean. 

At  ten  o'clock,  Saturday  morning,  November  29th, 
our  ship,  the  Hakuai  Mant,  steamed  away  from  Kobe,  a 
port  of  two  hundred  and  sixteen  thousand  inhabitants, 
for  the  most  delightful  of  voyages,  the  trip  through  the 
picturesque  inland  sea  to  Nagasaki,  three  hundred  and 
eighty-nine  miles  from  Kobe.  The  entire  voyage  is  an 
ever-changing  panorama  of  beauty.  The  steamship 
threads  her  way  through  narrow  channels  in  and  out 
among  the  islands.  On  every  side  are  villages,  towns, 
temples,  castles,  forests,  peaks,  mountain  chains,  terraced 
hills,  and  valleys.  Now  and  then  the  smoke  of  the  iron 
horse,  with  his  train  of  human  freight,  is  seen  far  across 
the  rugged  mountain  side,  hastening  onward  as  if  meas- 
uring strength  with  the  speeding  mail-ship.  Innumer- 
able fishing-smacks  make  every  effort  to  give  the  large 
floating  palace  clear  track,  and  thus  prevent  their  being 
crushed  and  sunk. 

At  Moji,  the  terminus  of  the  inland  sea,  the  vessel 
halted  six  hours  for  coal.  Coaling  a  vessel  in  Japan  is 
a  very  interesting  sight.  The  coal  is  brought  to  the  ves- 
sel's side  in  junks,  from  which  steps  are  placed  reaching 
to  the  ship's  deck.  One  person  stands  on  each  step  and 
receives  the  baskets  of  coal,  then  passes  them  on  to  the 
next,  until  the  baskets  reach  the  coal-bunker  entrance, 
where  they  are  dumped,  the  coal  falling  to  its  place  ready 


Japan.  75 

for  the  stokers.  So  rapidly  are  baskets  filled,  emptied, 
and  returned,  that  there  is  a  constant  stream  of  baskets 
in  a  seemingly  never-ending  procession  rising  from  the 
coal  junk  to  the  large  steamship.  In  this  way  thirteen 
hundred  and  sixty-nine  tons  of  coal  have  been  put  on 
board  in  four  hours,  which  is  over  five  tons  per  minute. 
On  such  occasions  the  ship  is  surrounded  by  coal  junks, 
and  many  a  human  highway  of  transportation  swerves  to 
and  fro  with  the  regularity  of  heart-beats.  It  is  a  sur- 
prise to  Americans  to  see  girls  and  women  in  each  pro- 
cession, each  doing  the  work  of  a  man,  lifting  baskets 
containing  forty  pounds  of  coal.  Working  with  such 
rapidity,  and  being  under  such  a  strain,  the  perspiration 
rolls  down  their  faces  in  beads.  As  the  boys,  young  men, 
and  old  men  warm  up,  they  discard  their  clothing  until 
many  of  them  retain  no  more  than  would  be  required  to 
make  a  very  small  doll  a  dress.  Whatever  quantity  of 
clothing  may  be  discarded  by  the  girls  and  women,  they 
never,  no,  never,  bare  their  arms.  However,  regardless 
of  the  protest  of  Airs.  Cleveland  and  other  prominent 
American  women,  the  Japanese  girls  and  women  continue- 
to  wear  their  skirts  divided  the  full  length  in  front 
and  frequently,  entirely  open.  Their  system  of  keeping 
the  lower  limbs  bare  and  the  arms  scrupulously  covered 
is  like  unto  the  system  which  would  cause  one  to  choke 
on  a  gnat  and  swallow  a  camel. 

On  arriving  in  Nagasaki  we  noticed,  besides  a  Rus- 
sian man-of-war,  the  large  army  transport  Thomas,  en 
route  from  Manila  to  San  Francisco,  loaded  with  our 
soldier  boys.  Passing  down  street  a  few  hours  later,  I 
noticed  a  mob  in  front  of  a  hotel.  Hastening  rapidly  to 
the  scene  of  excitement,  I  saw  an  American  soldier 
in  the  center  without  hat,  his  face  and  head  bleeding  from 
a  number  of  cuts.     Hurrying  to  his  aid  were  other  sol- 


76 


Around  the  World. 


diers ;  but  the  timely  action  of  the  Japanese  police  in 
arresting  the  Jap  who  had  done  the  damage,  and  hurry- 
ing him  to  jail,  prevented  a  tragedy,  possibly  a  Japanese- 
American  conflict. 

I  visited  the  Shinto  temple  where  the  Shinto  priests 
are  on  duty.  Each  worshiper  gave  the  priest  a  piece  of 
money,  whereupon  he  began  beating  a  large  kettle-drum 
with  tom-tom  effect,  which  to  the  Shintoist  is  the  mode 
of  praying.  The  missionaries  are  doing  remarkable  work 
in  carrying  gospel  light  to  the  heathen  devotees.  There 
is  a  scarcity  of  workers  in  Japan.  The  ingathering  has 
been  marvelous.  More  than  two  hundred  people  have 
been  turned  away  from  one  school  on  account  of  the 
lack  of  rooms  and  teachers.  It  is  indeed  a  pity  that  many 
Americans  are  careless  and  indifferent  in  regard  to  the 
Christian  religion,  while  many  in  foreign  lands  are  only 
too  glad  to  make  the  acquaintance  of  Jesus  Christ,  the 
Savior  of  men. 

Being  a  missionary  secretary  myself,  with  a  letter 
regarding  missionary  inspection  from  Bishop  Moore  and 
Drs.  Oldham  and  Leonard,  of  the  New  York  and  Chi- 
cago offices,  it  is  needless  for  me  to  present  the  names 
of  the  resident  missionaries  and  educators  in  each  city 
and  country,  who  spare  no  pains  to  make  my  visit  both 
interesting  and  profitable ;  but  I  will  simply  state,  once  for 
all,  that  without  the  co-operation,  counsel,  and  experi- 
ence of  these  grand,  good  people,  weeks  would  be  re- 
quired where  days  now  suffice  for  my  work.  Through 
their  diplomacy,  I  am  enabled  to  interview  officials,  in- 
spect places  of  interest,  and  thereby  secure  information 
at  first  hand,  much  of  which  has  not  been  in  print  here- 
tofore. I  am  not  a  tourist.  I  am  out  for  business,  and 
am  weary  of  work  when  night  falls ;  hence  I  am  having 
no  holiday. 


Japan.  77 

In  the  Nagasaki  part,  I  noticed  the  following  inscrip- 
tion carved  upon  a  monument  seven  feet  high  by  three 
feet  wide: 

"Nagasaki,  Japan,  June  22,  1879. 
"At  the  request  of  Governor  (Japanse  name)  Mrs. 
Grant  and  I  each  planted  a  tree  in  the  Nagasaki  park. 
I  hope  that  both  trees  may  prosper,  grow  large,  live  long ; 
and,  in  this  growth,  prosperity,  and  long  life,  be  emblem- 
atic of  the  future  of  Japan. 

"U.  S.  Grant. 


n 


The  trees,  India-rubber,  were  planted  about  twenty- 
five  feet  apart,  and  were  protected  by  a  strong  frame- 
work, but  the  tree  planted  by  the  general  and  ex-President 
died,  while  the  other,  planted  by  Mrs.  Grant,  not  only 
flourishes,  but  has  grown  double,  forming  two  trees.  This 
is  a  living  testimonial  to  the  worth  and  work  of  woman, 
and  a  serious  blow  to  the  Japanese  timeworn  theory  of 
feminine  inferiority. 

In  addition  to  the  various  phases  of  life  more  or  less 
interesting,  Japan  was  treated  to  an  earthquake  a  few 
days  ago.  This  occurred  while  I  was  at  Tokio.  The 
houses  trembled  like  maple  branches ;  the  people  rushed 
pellmell  into  the  streets,  fearing  that  the  houses  might 
tumble  down  upon  them.  I  have  not  visited  a  house 
in  Japan  in  which  the  plastering  is  not  cracked.  For 
untold  years  the  Japanese  have  firmly  believed  that  a 
dragon  is  chained  under  their  islands,  and  that  his  peri- 
odical efforts  to  free  himself  causes  the  earthquakes. 
The  steamship  Empress  of  Japan  has  the  dragon  carved 
on  the  bow ;  Japanese  coins  bear  the  inscription  of  the 
dragon  on  one  side ;  and  that  hideous-looking  monster 
is  everywhere  in  evidence. 


jS  Around  the  World. 

Besides  the  earthquakes,  Japan   has  other  problems 
that  keep  her  nervous.     Though  she  has  entered  into  an 
alliance  with  England  to  check  the  encroachment  of  Rus- 
sia, yet  Japan   is  busy   watching  England's   movements 
in  the  Far  East.    The  policy  of  America  in  not  demand- 
ing a  slice  of  China  has  assured  Japan  that  she  has  noth- 
ing to  fear  from  Uncle  Sam.     Japan  holds  the  Russian 
in  supreme  contempt.     While  the  Russian  squadron  was 
cruising  in  Japanese  waters,  two  men-of-war  and  a  crui- 
ser with  over  two  thousand  men  anchored  in  the  harbor 
at   Kobe.     One  of  the  sailors  was  severely  handled  by 
some  Japanese  coolies  while  on  shore.     When  this  was 
reported  to  the  squadron,  eight  hundred  brawny  sailors 
secured  leave  of  absence  to  go  on   shore  for  revenge. 
The  men  were  not  allowed  their  firearms,  but  purposely 
wore  their  belts.     Every  Japanese  that   showed  himself 
in  the  streets  was  caught  and  given  a  severe  strapping. 
The  police  went  into  hiding,  being  unable  to  cope  with 
an  army  of  Russians,  though  armed  with  belts  only.    The 
account  of  this  treatment  was  published  throughout  Ja- 
pan ;  consequently,  when  a  Russian  warship  anchored  at 
Nagasaki  last  week,  a  mob  formed,  caught  the  first  squad 
of  men  that  landed,  and  gave  them  many  a  deep  cut  and 
bruise   before   the   police   succeeded    in    restoring   order. 
An  inoffensive  German  who  happened  to  be  standing  near 
the  men  after  they  came  ashore  was  taken  to  be  one  of 
them,  and  was  also  very  much  disfigured.     Those  who 
read    between    the    lines    in    diplomatic    circles    prophesy 
that  it  will  be  only  a  matter  of  time  when  Japan  and 
Russia  will  declare  war  as  the  last  resort  in  the  settle- 
ment of  their  differences.     Russia  is  the  aggressor,  Ja- 
pan has  already  appropriated  50,000,000  yen  for  battle- 
ships, and  is  nervous  over  the  situation,  to  say  the  least. 


Japan.  79 

The  women  of  America  are  to  be  congratulated  over 
the  progress  they  have  made  through  their  Foreign  Mis- 
sionary Societies  in  lifting  the  girls  and  women  of  Japan 
from  the  thralldom  into  which  ages  of  ignorance  and  su- 
perstition have  consigned  them.  Commodious  buildings, 
though  half  what  are  needed,  have  been  erected  in  nearly 
every  city  where  the  light  of  a  new  civilization  is  rapidly 
transforming  old  Japan  into  the  newer  and  better  with 
its  Christian  home,  the  real  safeguard  of  the  world. 


V. 

CHINA. 

THE  CELESTIAL  EMPIRE — REAL  FOREIGN  DEVILS — MISSION- 
ARIES OE  COMMERCE,  NOT  OF  THE  GOSPEL,  RESPONSI- 
BLE FOR  CHINESE  TROUBLES — A  NATION  APPARENTLY 
NERVELESS — CUSTOMS  AND  SUPERSTITIONS — CHAOTIC 
CONDITION   OF  FINANCE. 

Leaving  Nagasaki,  a  voyage  of  two  nights  and  one 
day,  measures  the  distance  across  the  turbid  Yellow  Sea, 
and  causes  the  long  brown  line  of  China  to  rise  out  of  the 
horizon,  and  we  enter  the  Yang-tse-Kiang  River,  where 
junks  of  every  description  ply,  bearing  pig- tailed  crews, 
dwellers  of  the  real  Cathay.  Our  vessel  reels  as  it  strug- 
gles with  the  tide  at  the  Woosung  Bar,  called  by  the 
Chinese  the  "Heavenly  Barrier,"  because  it  is  regarded 
as  Divinely  prepared  to  prevent  the  world's  ships  from 
gaining  access  to  the  city  of  Shanghai,  with  its  popula- 
tion of  over  four  hundred  thousand,  called  the  New  York 
of  the  far  rim  of  Asia. 

During  the  Franco-Chinese  war  in  1884,  the  Chinese 
added  to  the  difficulty  of  ascending  the  Yang-tse-Kiang 
by  sinking  stone-loaded  junks  across  all  but  one  narrow 
channel.  This  channel  is  used  by  the  nations'  vessels 
as  a  highway  to  this  commercial  metropolis.  The  first 
railroad  built  from  Woosung  to  Shanghai  was  torn  up 
by  the  superstitious  Chinese,  and  the  locomotives  were 
plunged  into  the  river;  but  when  the  cannon  of  several 

80 


China.  8 1 

nations  were  pointing  their  death-dealing  mouths  toward 
Shanghai,  the  emperor  changed  his  mind,  and  the  whistle 
of  the  locomotive  is  now  heard  as  the  trip  of  thirteen 
miles  is  made.  Approaching  the  city,  iron-clad  men- 
of-war  were  passed  as  they  lay  at  anchor  near  the  Shang- 
hai Harbor,  their  heavy  cannon,  like  giant  cigars,  pointing 
in  every  direction,  proclaiming  the  gospel  of  force.  This 
international  display  of  man-killing  machines  presented 
a  formidable  appearance.  The  fleet  consisted  of  one  Rus- 
sian, one  Chinese,  two  Italian,  two  Japanese,  two  Ger- 
man, two  American,  three  French,  and  three  British  war- 
dogs. 

The  very  fact  that  the  gunboats  are  needed  indicates 
that  China  has  no  love  for  the  foreigner,  and,  judging 
from  the  treatment  administered  to  the  natives  by  the 
foreigners,  excepting  the  missionaries,  I  do  not  blame 
the  Chinese  in  the  least  for  being  opposed,  first,  last,  and 
always,  to  the  presence  of  many  of  the  people  residing 
here,  called  "foreign  devils"  by  the  Chinese. 

The  missionaries  treat  the  natives  as  they  should  be 
treated,  people  worth  helping;  but  the  majority  of  those 
engaged  in  business,  at  least  as  far  as  I  have  observed, 
treat  the  Chinese  as  dogs,  or  worse  than  dogs.  People 
are  growing  rich  by  high-handed  extortion,  or,  to  be 
more  exact,  by  a  system  of  highway  robbery,  the  like  of 
which  I  had  never  dreamed.  The  children  arc  follow- 
ing in  the  footsteps  of  their  parents. 

Yesterday  I  visited  Central  Market,  where  fruits, 
meats,  vegetables,  etc.,  are  for  sale  and  at  prices  unheard 
of  before — fish  of  any  and  every  kind  at  give-away  prices. 
Sharks  could  be  had  at  almost  the  asking ;  deer  at  one 
dollar  each.  In  view  of  all  this,  I  saw  a  foreign  girl 
help  herself  to  what  oranges  she  wanted.  The  owner 
would  endeavor  to  take  them  from  her,  and  succeed  or 
6 


82  Around  the  World. 

fail  according  to  the  quickness  of  the  girl  in  getting  away 
with  her  booty.  The  poor  vender  could  not  leave  his 
stand  long  to  follow  her,  as  large  crowds  were  waiting, 
and,  besides,  other  "foreign  devils"  might  steal  the  re- 
mainder while  he  was  chasing  the  girl  in  question.  Her 
supreme  impudence  and  contempt  of  all  moral  law  was 
shown  by  the  second  attempt  to  take  oranges  which  the 
seller  had  just  wrested  from  her  hands  by  force.  The 
Chinese  take  this  in  good  humor,  and  say  little,  because 
they  fear  those  iron,  fire-breathing  monsters  that  bedeck 
their  harbor  only  a  few  blocks  away. 

I  observed  an  English  lady  as  she  sent  her  servant, 
a  young  man,  on  an  errand.  I  was  surprised  to  note 
his  quickness ;  he  went  like  the  wind.  The  errand  accom- 
plished, he  returned,  and  was  so  polite,  I  decided  that 
such  rapid  service  would  not  be  asked  or  expected  in 
America  or  England.  But  this  lady  (?)  gave  that  serv- 
ant a  tongue-lashing  and  volley  of  vituperation  for  being 
so  slow  when  she  well  knew  that  he  had  rendered  abso- 
lutely perfect  service.  Though  well  dressed,  her  manner 
and  uncalled-for  abuse  impressed  me  that  the  appella- 
tion "she  devil,"  if  applied  to  her,  would  be  thoroughly 
complimentary. 

Another  instance  justifying  the  term  "foreign  devil:" 
I  had  engaged  a  jmricsha  (Shanghai  spelling)  for  a  trip 
of  three  miles  about  Shanghai,  and  on  returning  paid  my 
man  a  few  cents  more  than  the  regular  price ;  however, 
according  to  Chinese  custom,  he  asked  for  ten  cents  ad- 
ditional, which  may  or  may  not  be  given  as  one  likes. 
At  this  moment  the  hotel  clerk,  an  American,  stepped 
up  and  asked  what  the  man  wanted.  I  replied  that  he 
requested  ten  cents  additional,  whereupon  the  clerk  flew 
at  him  in  a  rage,  and  kicked  the  Chinaman  three  times 
with  all  his  might  before  the  recipient  of  the  uncalled- 


China.  83 

for  booting  had  time  to  decide  whether  he  had  been  struck 
by  a  typhoon  or  a  "foreign  devil."  No  resistance  was 
offered,  although  we  were  surrounded  in  two  minutes 
by  a  horde  of  Chinese.  My  first  thought  was  that  the 
Boxers  had  us,  as  no  Americans  or  Englishmen  were  in 
sight,  and  we  were  in  the  heart  of  a  city  containing 
four  hundred  thousand  people,  wearers  of  the  cue.  They 
doubtless  called  to  mind  the  fact  that  the  gunboats  were 
close  at  hand,  and  that  the  use  of  the  big  knife  might 
bring  upon  them  the  wrath  of  the  belching  cannon. 
Therefore  in  a  few  minutes  the  rabble  dispersed,  while 
my  accelerated  heart  quieted  down  to  its  normal  stroke. 
The  man  who  insists  that  the  missionaries  are  at  the 
bottom  of  the  Chinese  trouble  has  either  never  smelled 
salt  water,  or,  if  he  has  visited  Asia,  has  been  paid  to  mis- 
represent the  true  condition.  The  intriguing  mission- 
aries of  commerce,  by  their  lack  of  ordinary  human  in- 
stinct, have  brought  merited  contempt  upon  themselves ; 
and  the  missionaries  of  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ,  being 
foreigners  also,  must  share  in  the  unmerited  title  "for- 
eign devils."  I  have  had  several  interviews  with  Rev. 
W.  H.  Lingle,  who,  in  1888,  was  in  charge  of  the  Pres- 
byterian work  at  Gering,  Neb.,  but  is  now  a  missionary 
at  Hankow,  about  six  hundred  miles  up  the  Yang-tse- 
Kiang  River  in  Central  China.  He  is  an  alumnus  of  the 
McCormick  Theological  Institute,  and  has  spent  more 
than  twelve  years  in  China.  He  states  that  he  has  been 
at  work  an  entire  year  without  seeing  a  solitary  person 
other  than  the  Chinese.  He  has  been  entertained 
throughout  his  journeys  by  the  Chinese,  who  never  per- 
mit him  to  pay  a  cent  for  his  accommodations.  They 
treat  him  with  absolute  respect  and  are  glad  to  have  him 
come,  because  he  treats  them  as  men  and  not  as  soulless 
vagabonds.     He   asserts   that   an   experience   of  twelve 


84  Around  the  World. 

years  has  taught  him  that  the  highest  class  of  Chinese 
are  equal  to  the  highest  class  of  Americans,  and  the 
lowest  class  of  Chinese  are  no  lower  than  the  lowest 
Americans.    I  question  his  judgment. 

I  am  as  much  surprised  at  the  greatness  of  the  Chinese 
as  I  was  at  the  eccentricities  of  the  Japanese.  In  conver- 
sation with  a  professor  of  the  Peking  University  I  have 
learned  many  characteristics  peculiar  to  this  empire.  I 
also  learned  that  many  characteristics  that  are  so  noticea- 
ble among  the  unlearned  appear  equally  strong  among  the 
most  highly  educated.  I  believe  I  am  safe  in  stating  that 
the  Chinese  do  not  reason.  Ask  them  why  they  do  so  and 
so,  and  back  comes  the  reply,  "We  do  this  in  this  way, 
because  this  is  the  way  we  do."  When  a  person  is  sick, 
the  neighbors  come  in,  bringing  every  conceivable  kind  of 
instrument  adapted  to  make  a  noise,  and  bedlam  reigns. 
The  idea  is  that  an  evil  spirit  is  troubling  the  afflicted  one, 
and  the  best  way  to  rid  him  of  the  parasite  is  to  frighten 
it  away  by  noise.  If  the  person  is  restored,  they  give 
noise  the  credit  for  driving  the  varmint  away.  But  if  the 
person  dies,  as  one  might  expect,  the  blame  is  placed  upon 
the  noise-makers,  who  evidently  failed  to  make  enough 
or  of  a  kind  which  the  evil  spirit  was  afraid  of. 

The  funeral  is  a  regular  Fourth  of  July  to  the  neigh- 
borhood. Torches  and  drums  are  provided ;  the  drums 
are  beaten  as  the  procession  moves  along  the  street, 
where  firecrackers  make  a  pyrotechnic  display  calculated 
to  keep  evil  spirits  from  gaining  access  to  the  casket.  The 
casket  is  wrapped  in  a  red  blanket  for  the  purpose  of 
deceiving  the  spirits  into  believing  that  it  is  a  joyous  oc- 
casion, instead  of  one  of  mourning.  The  coolies,  usually 
from  ten  to  twenty,  carry  the  casket  on  poles,  and  at  the 
same  time  make  merry  to  enliven  the  observers  by  their 
antics,  and  as  a  further  precaution  to  deceive.    One  man 


China.  85 

accompanies  the  procession,  carrying  money  on  a  pole. 
The  funeral  yesterday  was  of  a  wealthy  Chinaman,  the 
procession  was  long,  and  the  noise  was  unusually  fright- 
ful. I  shall  remember  it  because  it  differed  from  and  I  had 
ever  heard.  A  larger  quantity  of  money  was  carried  than 
is  usual.  The  money  was  burned  at  the  tomb  for  the  pur- 
pose of  affording  the  deceased  a  sufficient  quantity  of 
spending  money  en  route  from  earth  to  the  spirit  land. 
The  Chinese  believe  that  money  has  spirit,  and  that  it  is 
released  when  burned,  and  becomes  legal  tender  for  its 
owner  in  the  world  beyond.  Ask  the  Chinese  why  they 
do  this  and  they  reply,  "We  do  this  in  this  way,  Because 
this  is  the  way  we  do." 

A  friend  of  mine,  who  spoke  the  Chinese  language, 
in  conversation  with  a  Chinese  banker  who  believes  in  this 
way  of  providing  the  departed  with  spending  money, 
criticised  the  system  severely,  and  remarked  that  the 
banker  ought  to  receive  the  money  of  the  people,  issue 
drafts  for  it,  and  let  them  burn  the  drafts  thereby  for- 
warding the  cash.  He  replied  that  he  had  not  thought 
of  that.  It  is  prophesied  that  this  system  will  soon  be  in 
vogue  to  the  enriching  of  the  bankers. 

The  Mormons  of  Utah  drop  entirely  from  the  cal- 
endar when  compared  with  the  Chinese  in  the  practice  of 
polygamy.  The  Emperor  of  China  is  allowed  two  thou- 
sand wives,  and  I  am  informed  that  the  number  never 
falls  below  the  allowance,  and  that  they  are  about  the  im- 
perial palace  all  the  time.  The  other  government  officials 
are  limited  to  a  certain  number,  none  being  allowed  as 
many  as  the  emperor.  The  very  poor  have  only  one  wife, 
simply  because  they  can  not  afford  to  keep  two  or  more. 

Those  whom  I  have  interviewed  on  the  much-dis- 
cussed  subject  of  infanticide  in  China  arc  agreed  that 
the  poorest  parents  are  forced  by  poverty  either  to  see 


86  Around  the  World. 

their  children  slowly  starve  to  death  or  to  take  their  lives. 
Some  adopt  one  plan,  while  others  follow  the  other. 

Lack  of  public  spirit  is  marked.  They  allow  the  roads 
to  become  impassable  when  a  little  work  properly  applied 
would  solve  the  difficulty.  In  Shantung  Province  there 
is  a  road  so  deeply  cut  or  worn  down  that  two  carts 
can  not  pass  for  miles ;  consequently,  instead  of  repairs, 
men  are  stationed  at  both  ends  as  guards,  and  people  are 
allowed  to  pass  one  way  in  the  forenoon  and  the  other 
way  in  tlie  afternoon,  requiring  a  person  to  stay  over 
night  when  on  only  a  short  journey ;  but  time  is  no  con- 
sideration in  the  Cbinese  eyes. 

Their  language,  I  am  told,  has  no  past  or  future 
tenses.  Everything  occurs  in  the  "eternal  now."  The 
Chinese  see  no  objection  in  the  way  of  saying:  "General 
Wing  Wang  Wong  is  killed  fourteen  hundred  years  ago." 

Ordinarily  the  Chinaman  has  no  use  for  a  clock  or 
watch.  He  tells  the  time  by  the  position  of  the  sun 
and  moon,  or  when  they  are  not  available,  the  economic 
dweller  in  Cathay  observes  the  contraction  and  dilation 
of  the  pupil  of  a  cat's  eye.  and  secures  a  result  accurate 
enough  for  his  purpose. 

Children  go  to  school  at  daylight,  and  continue  all 
day.  They  "study  out  loud."  I  never  heard  such  a  gab- 
ble as  that  presented  yesterday  at  a  native  school.  Every 
student  was  not  only  speaking  as  he  rehearsed  his  lesson 
to  himself,  but  actually  yelled,  presumably  on  the  ground 
that  the  one  was  studying  the  most  intently  who  made  the 
most  noise.  Chinese  are  said  to  have  no  nerves.  While 
that  is  physiologically  untrue,  it  may  be  said  that  they 
act  as  if  they  were  nerveless.  A  foreign  teacher's  nerves 
would  be  wrecked  in  a  day  on  account  of  the  noise, 
while  in  the  same  room  a  native  teacher  grows  fat.  Tt 
is  said  that  a  Chinaman  can  sleep  anywhere,  and  that 


China.  87 

an  army  of  ten  million  men  could  be  secured,  every 
man  of  which  could  sleep  on  a  rapidly-moving  wheelbar- 
row, his  head  hanging  down  almost  to  the  ground,  his 
mouth  open,  and  a  fly  crawling  about  on  a  tour  of 
inspection  within. 

Those  who  are  used  to  seeing  the  Chinamen  of  Amer- 
ica are  surprised  to  notice  how  large  and  strong  the  aver- 
age man  is  here.  Many  are  real  giants.  In  the  entire  ab- 
sence of  street  cars,  people  are  conveyed  on  jinrikshas  or 
wheelbarrows.  I  saw  one  man  wheeling  five  medium- 
sized  women  at  one  time  on  the  regulation  wheelbarrow. 
Some  people  never  patronize  the  jinrikshas,  but  always 
ride  on  the  wheelbarrow  as  transportation  is  cheaper.  Tak- 
ing the  bridal  tour  on  that  kind  of  a  vehicle  is  common. 
Drays  are  scarce,  as  they  can  not  compete  with  man 
power.  The  goods  bought,  sold,  and  shipped  by  large 
importers  and  exporters  here,  many  shiploads  per  week, 
are  transferred  by  men  with  carts  or  wheelbarrows.  Such 
heavy  work  has  developed  men  of  great  muscle.  The 
lack  of  improved  machinery  throughout  the  vast  empire 
requires  that  all  work  be  done  in  the  hardest  way  possible ; 
hence  I  am  convinced  that  the  Chinese  have  the  balance 
to  their  credit  among  the  nations  as  strong  physically. 

From  this  vast  multitude  of  over  four  hundred  million 
people,  about  one-fourth  of  the  world's  population,  an 
army  of  at  least  25,000,000  athletes  could  be  organized. 
Such  an  aggregation  if  properly  drilled  and  armed,  would 
be  absolutely  irresistible.  The  Chinese  have  no  fear  of 
death  whatever  and  can  endure  hardships  of  fatigue  and 
hunger  to  an  extent  unapproached  by  foreigners.  All 
they  lack  is  organization  and  unification.  With  these 
essentials  to  successful  enterprise  in  their  possession,  the 
Chinese  would  become  the  most  powerful  of  the  world 
powers  and  a  menace  to  civilization.     As  she  is,  she  is 


8S  Around  the  World. 

helpless.  When  Japan  whipped  the  Chinese  forces,  only 
two  of  the  Chinese  provinces  were  engaged,  while  all 
Japan  was  represented.  The  other  sixteen  provinces,  or 
either  half  of  them,  could  have  shouldered  the  entire  pop- 
ulation of  Japan,  and  have  ducked  it  in  the  sea. 

There  is  a  babel  of  tongues  in  China  throughout  the 
eighteen  provinces,  those  of  one,  in  most  instances,  not 
understanding  the  language  of  the  other  provinces.  This, 
with  their  characteristic  lack  of  organization,  makes  the 
Chinese  a  prey  to  the  nations  of  the  West.  Whether  these 
shortcomings  be  a  part  of  the  Divine  plan  in  order  to  per- 
mit Christianity  to  capture  the  empire  before  it  gathers 
itself  and  learns  its  latent  power  and  plunges  into  war 
with  the  surrounding  nations,  I  do  not  venture  to  guess, 
but  one  thing  I  know  is,  that  if  I  had  a  thousand  lives  to 
live,  I  could  do  worse  than  to  give  each  of  them,  if  need 
be,  to  the  emancipation  of  the  "Flowery  Kingdom"  from 
the  bonds  of  ignorance  and  superstition  which  fetter  it 
and  prevent  progress. 

China  has  to  her  charge  faults  multitudinous,  but 
John  viii,  /,  reads,  "He  that  is  without  sin  among  you, 
let  him  first  cast  a  stone  at  her."  Chinese  bandage  their 
feet  until  the  feet  of  a  grown  person  have  been  known  to 
measure  only  two  inches  in  length.  Speak  to  them  about 
it,  and  they  reply  that  American  women  go  as  far  by 
lacing  their  bodies  into  hour  glasses. 

The  Chinese  have  no  stoves  for  heating.  Their  houses 
are  not  ventilated ;  their  streets  start  in  no  particular 
direction  and  go  nowhere.  If  it  grows  cold,  they  make 
a  fire  under  the  bed,  roast  awhile,  then  cool  off  quickly. 
They  break  every  recognized  law  of  hygiene.  Two  re- 
markable cases  of  endurance  are  recorded.  An  employee 
in  Peking  was  taken  with  typhus  fever.  On  the  thirteenth 
day  he  grew  wild,  sundered  the  cords  which  bound  him 


China.  89 

in  his  bed,  escaped  naked,  eluded  his  pursuers  by  leaping 
a  high  wall  and  hiding  in  a  moat  inside  the  great  wall, 
where  he  was  found  two  hours  later,  having  cooled  his 
fevered  body.  He  was  returned  to  his  home  and  re- 
covered completely.  Another  young  man  at  Tientsin 
made  a  living  by  collecting  spent  shells  where  the  troops 
engage  in  artillery  practice.  On  trying  to  break  open 
an  unexploded  shell,  it  blew  to  a  jelly  part  of  his  left  leg. 
He  was  carefully  cared  for  until  his  limb  healed,  having 
been  amputated  below  the  knee.  He  then  returned  to  the 
same  business,  and  in  the  same  way  had  an  arm  blown  off, 
and  was  cut  in  a  score  of  places  about  the  body  and  the 
head,  many  a  bone  being  exposed.  For  hours  he  lay 
bleeding  in  a  helpless  condition,  exposed  to  the  sun. 
Some  coolies  came  along  and  threw  him  into  a  ditch  to  die. 
He  managed  to  crawl  out,  and  dragged  himself  to  a  gran- 
nary,  and,  finding  a  basket,  curled  up  in  it.  The  owner 
of  the  premises  cast  him  out  to  die  in  order  to  get  rid  of 
him,  but  he  was  found  by  those  who  had  learned  of  the 
"World's  Christmas  Gift,"  taken  in,  and  cared  for  until 
well  again.  Hospitals  are  unknown  in  heathen  lands 
until  introduced  by  the  Christians. 

In  one  city  of  five  hundred  thousand  there  is  not  a 
policeman.  Every  man  is  responsible  for  the  conduct  of 
all  who  are  in  front  of  his  store  or  dwelling,  and  must  in- 
terfere as  arbitrator  whenever  any  difficulty  arises  before 
his  domicile.  Suppose  I  am  assaulted  in  front  of  Lou 
Fong's  shop.  I  call  upon  him  for  help.  If  he  refuses, 
1  take  his  name  and  number,  report  him  to  the  city  au- 
thorities who  hold  him  responsible  for  my  treatment. 
Hence  order  is  preserved  by  requiring  every  man  to 
"sweep  before  his  own  door." 

The  currency  of  China  is  in  a  chaotic  state.  One 
dollar  in   Chinese  cash  brass  coins  weighs  no  less  than 


9o 


Around  the  World. 


eighteen  pounds  of  avoirdupois,  and  changes  in  value 
almost  as  often  as  the  tides  rise  and  fall.  Every  dollar 
(American)  is  worth  $2.42  to  $2.50  in  silver  here,  Mex- 
ican currency  being  in  general  use  in  connection  with  the 
Chinese.  Silver  money  fluctuates  so  that  a  new  price  is 
placed  on  all  goods  at  each  change  in  the  value  of  money. 
Clerks  are  kept  busy  learning  new  prices.  One  person 
remarked  to  me  that  he  seldon  paid  the  same  price  twice 
in  succession  for  the  same  article  at  a  grocery.  This 
state  of  affairs  makes  business  men  fearful  of  severe  losses. 

The  Chinaman  is  economical  or  nothing.  He  is  so 
because  of  compulsion.  He  is  not  fond  of  butchering 
cats,  dogs,  and  animals  that  die  of  disease,  but  years  of 
poverty  forces  just  such  a  procedure.  This  is  done  by 
the  lowest  class  only.  Turning  to  America,  the  same 
class,  native  born  Americans,  are  found  who  make  it  their 
business  to  buy  diseased  beef  and  sell  to  those  who  know 
what  they  are  buying.  Crossing  the  Pacific,  a  fellow 
passenger,  an  Englishman,  serving  on  the  Australia  po- 
lice force,  admitted  that  the  English  in  Australia  eat 
snakes.  He  remarked  in  the  presence  of  an  educated 
Chinaman  that  he  himself  had  eaten  boa-constrictor,  and 
that  boa-constrictor  cutlets  were  real  appetizing.  I  do 
not  care  to  pose  as  the  champion  of  this  deceptive,  un- 
principled, non-Christian  race,  but  I  insist  on  placing 
any  dog-eater  in  a  higher  category  than  any  snake-eater. 
I  believe  in  "giving  the  devil  his  due." 

Hence  it  is  seen  that  the  educated  Chinese  find  a  par- 
allel case  in  America  or  England  for  nearly  every  stricture 
placed  upon  them.  Many  parallels  may  be  found,  but  I 
am  convinced  that  the  words  China  and  America  ought 
not  to  be  pronounced  in  the  same  breath  without  apology. 
The  one.  a  despotism  gangrened  by  thousands  of  years 


China. 


91 


of  bigotry  and  superstition ;  the  other,  newly  born,  nur- 
tured under  the  splendid  influence  of  constitution  framers 
who  could  not  undertake  their  work  without  first  invok- 
ing the  blessing  of  Almighty  God ;  a  nation  that  annually 
sets  apart  a  day  for  special  prayer  and  thanksgiving ;  the 
freest,  greatest,  grandest  nation  beneath  the  circle  of  the 
sun. 


VI. 

CHINA— THE  INTERNATIONAL  PUZZLE. 

THE  BABY  TOWER — BURYING  ALIVE SYMPATHY  A   SCARCE 

COMMODITY — HONG-KONG,  THE  WORLD'S  THIRD  PORT — 
THE  TERRACED  CITY  BY  ELECTRIC  LIGHT. 

China  is  a  puzzle  to  me.  The  more  I  see  of  China 
and  things  Chinese,  the  more  complex  the  tangle  becomes. 
My  trip  to  Central  China  convinced  me  that  this  vast 
empire  is  simply  trampling  upon  herself  by  her  own  igno- 
rance and  superstition.  Where  Christian  educators  gain 
a  footing,  barbarism  is  slain  and  right  thought  paves  the 
way  to  right  acting.  A  few  gospel  teachers  can  not  trans- 
form teeming  millions  in  a  decade,  but  the  families  that 
become  Christian  cast  aside  the  old  for  the  newer  and 
better. 

Old  China  maintains  what  is  called  the  Baby  Tower. 
New  China,  or  Christian  China,  is  as  much  opposed  to  the 
Baby  Tower  as  America.  The  Baby  Tower  is  a  sort  of 
a  "Black  Hole  of  Calcutta,"  a  part  of  which  extends  above 
ground  with  an  opening  into  which  children  are  thrown 
to  die  when,  for  any  reason,  they  are  no  longer  wanted  in 
the  home.  Into  this  catch-all  the  lifeless  bodies  of  the 
very  poor  of  all  ages  and  sexes  are  thrown,  when,  through 
the  direst  poverty,  a  decent  burial  is  impossible.  The 
decent  burial  in  Chinese  eyes  is  the  expensive  service 
where  an  abundance  of  firecrackers,  paid  mourners,  the 
burning  of  money,  and  much  feasting  is  on  the  program. 

92 


China — The  International  Puzzle.  0,3 

Not  to  comply  with  the  stereotyped  form  is  considered 
disgraceful,  an  indication  of  unfilial  piety,  and  all  this  is 
avoided  by  having'  no  service  whatever,  the  corpse  being 
hurled  into  the  tower  at  night  when  no  one  observes. 

The  belief  prevails  throughout  the  empire,  I  am  told, 
that  any  wrong  or  crime  must  be  detected  before  it  is 
considered  a  sin.  Therefore  every  act  of  the  vilest  life 
is  virtuous  if  unknown  to  any  other  person.  If  a  dozen 
witnesses  of  unimpeachable  character  testify  in  court  that 
they  saw  any  person  commit  a  crime,  the  person  is  pro- 
nounced innocent  by  the  court  until  the  person  confesses. 
However,  a  greater  amount  of  severe  punishment  is  of- 
ten administered  to  compel  the  person  to  confess  than  is 
afterward  given  as  a  penalty  for  the  crime  after  confes- 
sion. Every  evening  at  five  o'clock,  people  desiring  to  see 
what  is  called  bambooing  prisoners  to  secure  confession, 
or  as  a  penalty  for  confessed  crime  or  wrong,  assemble 
at  the  prison  or  court  of  punishment,  and  gaze  at  the 
barbarous  treatment  as  it  is  administered.  It  is  in  vogue 
at  Shanghai  and  at  Foochow,  and  I  have  reason  to  believe 
that  it  is  general.  The  female  prisoners  are  lashed  in 
the  palms  of  their  hands  with  sharp,  razor-like  bamboo 
whips  until  the  blood  flows  in  rivulets.  The  men  are 
stripped  until  almost  naked,  and  the  bamboo  switches 
are  applied  to  their  naked  legs  until  the  parts  struck  are 
a  pulp.  It  requires  no  imagination  on  your  part  to  fully 
comprehend  the  bloody  spectacle.  When  three  hundred 
lashes  are  prescribed,  three  men  execute  the  sentence, 
each  administering  one  hundred  lashes  and  with  a  rapidity 
developed  by  much  practice.  While  the  sharp  bamboo  is 
doing  its  work,  the  writhing,  shackled  victim  emits  a 
sort  of  a  sing-song  yell,  indicative  of  great  pain.  If  the 
person  stands  the  ordeal  well,  salt  is  rubbed  into  the 
bleeding  wounds   so  that  his   misery  is  multiplied.     At 


94 


Around  the  World. 


Foochow,  a  city  of  probably  half  a  million,  midway  be- 
tween Shanghai  and  Hong-Kong,  the  Rev.  W.  H.  Lacy 
says  the  bambooing  is  the  common  practice,  and  that  the 
Baby  Tower  is  in  general  use  among  the  non-Christian 
population.  In  Foochow,  the  missionaries  passing  by  this 
blood-freezing  tower,  have  heard  the  cries  of  children, 
but  were  unable  to  rescue  them,  from  their  living  tomb. 
Interference  would  mean  death.  The  stench  arising  from 
this  example  of  national  night  is  nauseating,  and  to  think 
of  innocent  children  being  thrust  into  that  receptacle  of 
filth,  vermin,  and  death  is  almost  sufficient  to  arouse  one 
to  call  for  the  world's  knights  who  are  willing  to  go  forth 
and  die,  if  need  be,  for  the  emancipation  of  China. 

Much  valuable  work  is  being  done  and  flattering  re- 
sults are  observable.  Many  individuals  and  young  peo- 
ple's societies  are  maintaining  schools,  especially  in  the 
Foochow  district,  and  the  work  is  spreading  throughout 
the  empire.  The  Bible  in  the  hands  of  Christian  teachers 
has  penetrated  for  two  thousand  miles  up  the  Yang-tse- 
Kiang,  leaving  transformation  along  its  pathway.  The 
large  American  Churches  have  publishing-houses,  with 
commodious  quarters  at  Shanghai  and  other  strategic 
points,  and  he  who  offers  one  word  of  criticism  on  mis- 
sions, needs  to  come  to  China  and  behold  with  his  own 
eyes  the  mightiest  transformation  now  in  progress  in  the 
world's  history.  But  if  he  comes  here,  lives  in  a  hotel, 
as  man}-  do,  sees  nothing  more  than  the  bambooing,  fran- 
tic funerals,  and  Baby  Towers,  he  will  say  missions  are 
a  failure,  and  that  we  had  better  call  home  our  repre- 
sentatives. On  the  other  hand,  let  him  make  a  fair  in- 
vestigation, and  he  will  say  that  the  English  language 
is  impotent  to  picture  the  worth  of  the  work  already 
accomplished.  In  Foochow  a  converted  Chinese  gave  the 
Missionary  Society  the  first  $10,000  to  build  and  equip 


China — The  International  Puzzle.  nc 

a  theological  school  for  the  training  of  workers  to  go  out 
and  rescvie  his   fellow   Chinese  from   heathenism. 

A  college  chum  of  mine,  Harry  Caldwell,  now  a 
missionary  and  stationed  near  Foochow,  was  recently  at- 
tacked by  a  tiger,  but  made  a  narrow  escape.  The  Chi- 
nese are  deathly  afraid  of  the  tigers,  wild  cats,  wild  dogs, 
leopards,  and  wolves  that  are  so  common  here.  Four 
tigers  attacked  four  men  in  a  field  the  other  day,  and  only 
one  man  escaped ;  but  the  loss  of  one  or  two  persons 
in  a  family  is  scarcely  noticed,  so  numerous  is  the  prog- 
eny about  every  fireside.  My  friend  travels  a  district, 
and,  being  a  good  marksman,  killed  a  wild  hog  that  was 
doing  much  damage  in  a  certain  locality,  and  thereby 
won  the  lasting  gratitude  of  the  entire  community,  which 
regards  him  as  a  deliverer,  not  only  from  religious  bond- 
age, but  also  from  the  pest  of  the  plains. 

The  Chinese  are  mound-builders  to  this  day.  The  very 
wealthy,  who  are  scarce,  have  tombs  for  the  reception 
of  the  dead ;  but  the  multiplied  millions,  who  are  in  con- 
dition to  escape  the  Baby  Tower,  are  encased  in  heavy 
wood  caskets,  placed  upon  the  level  ground,  and  covered 
with  dirt,  some  of  the  mounds  rising  many  feet  in  height. 
The  expression  of  "many  feet"  is  not  very  definite,  and 
resembles  the  statement  of  the  American  who  described 
an  article  in  question  as  being  about  as  long  as  a  piece 
of  rope.  However,  the  height  of  the  mounds  varies  so 
much  that  one  can  not  risk  making  any  certain  height  the 
standard.  Some  of  the  older  ones  are  almost  level,  on 
account  of  many  beating  rains  and  the  consequence  of 
time's  ravages,  while  others  are  more  than  twenty  feet 
in  height.  The  encroachments  of  the  Yang-tse-Kiang 
have  worn  away  many  a  mound,  leaving  the  caskets  pro- 
truding in  some  instances,   while  in  others  the  caskets 


g6  Around  the  World. 

have  floated  away.  If  all  China  is  similar  to  what  I 
have  seen,  I  would  pronounce  it  one  vast  graveyard. 
Looking  in  any  or  every  direction,  the  fields  present  the 
appearance  of  a  vast  hayfield  with  haystacks  studding 
every  part.  Transform  these  hay-shocks  or  stacks  into 
graves,  and  your  imagination  will  present  to  you  a  vivid 
picture  of  a  Chinese  plantation,  provided,  however,  that 
you  get  them  close  enough  to  each  other.  In  places  they 
are  too  close  to  permit  a  self-binder  to  pass  through. 
As  the  Chinese  do  not  use  horses,  farming  among  the 
graves  is  easily  performed,  and  every  available  square 
foot  of  ground  is  utilized.  If  this  burial  custom  has  been 
practiced  for  two  or  three  thousand  years,  one  does  not 
need  to  wonder  why  so  much  ground  is  now  covered 
with  mausoleums.  I  am  informed  that  some  of  the  older 
fields,  having  become  covered  with  mounds,  and  therefore, 
worthless  for  farming,  have  been  purchased  by  persons 
having  no  relatives  buried  therein,  and  by  them  have  been 
reduced  to  a  level  for  agricultural  purposes. 

Wretchedness  in  living  is  caused  by  wretched  think- 
ing. Here  the  only  help,  in  many  instances,  that  is 
offered  to  a  sick  person  besides  the  usual  noise  is  a  piece 
of  flesh  cut  from  the  limb  of  a  child.  This  piece  is  cut, 
causing  the  child  much  pain ;  it  is  fried  and  eaten,  ex- 
pecting it  to  cure.  Girls,  who  commit  suicide  because  of 
ill  treatment,  or  because  they  are  taught  that  it  is  a  last- 
ing disgrace  to  be  born  girls,  are  many  in  number.  Girls 
are  frequently  punished  by  being  stripped,  beaten,  and 
hung  up  by  the  feet  to  the  ceiling.  Girls  and  women  are 
driven  like  cattle  from  place  to  place  and  sold.  If  they 
refuse  to  walk,  wheelbarrows  or  carts  are  provided  for 
their  transportation.  During  one  month  the  merchants 
reported  that  they  could  not  secure  carts  to  transfer  their 
merchandise,  as  they  were  all  engaged  in  the  lighter  and 


China — The  International  Puzzle.  qj 

more  lucrative  business  of  carrying  women  and  girls  for 
sale. 

An  Englishman  employed  at  Shanghai  asserts  that 
many  grown  people  who  die  are  neither-  buried  nor  thrown 
into  the  Baby  Tower,  but  are  fed  to  the  dogs.  Some 
crush  the  body  of  the  deceased  to  an  indistinguishable 
mass  in  order  to  prevent  the  devil  which  inhabits  it  from 
returning  to  vex  the  family.  Some  drag  heavy  chains 
through  the  street,  expecting  the  pest  devil  or  cholera 
devil  to  get  into  the  chain  and  be  crushed.  If  a  person 
is  taken  sick  with  what  they  consider  a  contagious  disease, 
he  is  put  into  a  room,  the  doors  are  barred,  and  the  per- 
son is  poked  with  a  long  pole  now  and  then,  to  learn 
whether  lie  is  dead. 

The  lack  of  sympathy  is  general.  A  foreign  ship 
while  on  fire  was  run  ashore  where  the  Yang-tse-Kiang 
empties  into  the  sea.  Instead  of  assisting  the  survivors 
to  escape,  the  Chinese  robbed  the  passengers,  who  swam 
ashore,  took  their  clothes,  and  several  were  murdered, 
A  Chinese  hotel-keeper  refused  to  admit  some  very  cold 
persons  because  he  thought  they  might  die  on  his  hands. 
They  remained  out  in  the  cold  and  died.  Formerly  a 
favorite  mode  of  punishment  was  to  bury  the  person  alive. 
The  Shanghai  paper  gave  an  account  of  a  person  being 
given  two  thousand  strokes  with  the  bamboo,  and  then 
having  his  ankles  broken  with  a  hammer.  One  man  says 
he  saw  prisoners  being  taken  to  jail  with  their  hands 
nailed  to  a  cart  because  the  constable  failed  to  bring  his 
handcuffs.  The  Chinese,  like  the  Japanese,  laugh,  when 
crying  is  more  appropriate  if  there  is  to  be  any  demon- 
stration of  sentiment.  Two  men  laughed  to  see  dogs 
eating  a  corpse  on  the  roadside.  It  is  reported  of  a  Chi- 
nese that  he  laughed  to  see  his  most  constant  companion 
dying.  That  is  no  more  of  a  shock,  coming  from  a  Chi- 
7 


gS  Around  the  World. 

nese,  than  the  excuse  of  a  French  lady,  who  requested 
her  maid  to  return  the  card  of  a  lady  caller  waiting  at 
the  door,  and  to  inform  her  that  she  was  extremely  sorry 
that  the  visit  must  be  postponed  as  she  was  then  "engaged 
in  dying." 

Judging  from  appearances,  the  Chinees  take  pains  to 
misunderstand  and  misdirect.  I  came  to  the  conclusion 
that  one  would  be  as  safe  in  doing  the  opposite  from 
what  a  Chinese  says  as  to  follow  his  instructions.  Their 
indefinite  manner  of  expressing  their  thoughts  has  been 
likened  unto  that  of  the  witness  in  an  English  court  who 
described  a  fight  as  follows :  "He  'd  a  stick,  and  he  'u 
a  stick,  and  he  w'acked  he,  and  he  w'acked  he,  and  if 
he  'd  a  w'acked  he  as  hard  as  he  w'acked  he,  he  'd  a 
killed  he  and  not  he  he." 

However,  the  Chinese  are  no  more  faulty  in  the  use 
of  English  than  the  Japanese.  The  purser  of  the  steam- 
boat from  the  north  into  Hong-Kong,  desiring  to  be  quite 
friendly,  asked  me  several  questions  concerning  my  visit 
in  Japan.  Among  others,  he  asked,  "Did  you  meet  Rev. 
G.  F.  Draper,  of  Yokohama?"  I  answered  that  I  had 
dined  twice  under  his  hospitable  roof,  to  which  he  re- 
sponded, "When  I  was  married,  he  performed  the  cere- 
mony; my  wife  is  a  graduate  of  his  Church."  But  we 
should  be  lenient  with  others,  as  we  are  frequently  guilty 
of  butchering  our  own  language  ourselves.  I  have  no 
time  in  my  writing  to  discriminate  in  the  use  of  words 
or  to  systematize  my  subject  matter,  being  always  pressed 
for  time,  and  frequently,  while  riding  a  heavy  sea  or 
surrounded  by  strange  sights  and  hearing  ominous  sounds 
in  strange  lands,  I  am  almost  in  a  semi-quandary  as  to 
whether  I  am  "afoot  or  a-horseback." 

An  English  paper,  the  North  China  Daily  Times. 
printed  at  Shanghai,  in  its  issue  of  last  Monday,  gave  an 


China — The  International  Puzzle.  qq 

account  of  a  ship  that  just  drifted  ashore  on  the  coast  of 
Formosa.  It  proved  to  be  the  new  schooner  Otclia  Pedcr- 
son,  hound  from  America  to  Hong-Kong-,  laden  with  tim- 
ber, which  left  Puget  Sound  in  advance  of  the  Empress 
of  Japan.  That  ill-fated  ocean  vessel  contended  valiantly 
in  an  unequal  contest  with  the  storm,  but  surrendered  to 
the  inevitable  when  all  hope  of  riding-  that  awful  storm 
was  abandoned.  The  rope  that  might  have  been  taken 
for  a  sea-serpent  which  I  saw  on  the  sea — mention  of 
which  was  duly  made  in  my  sea  article — was  doubtless  a 
a  part  of  the  foundered  ship's  equipment.  The  pres- 
ence of  the  floating  rope  is  circumstantial  evidence  that 
we  were  on  the  track  of  some  craft  with  blasted  hopes. 
When  moments  of  quiet  are  mine,  that  horrid,  seething, 
hissing,  moaning,  blood-curdling  storm  in  midocean  re- 
produces itself  on  the  scroll  of  memory,  causing  me  to 
wonder  whether  the  maddened  waters  were  ever  known 
to  pile  up  to  such  wicked  heights  before. 

Approaching  Hong-Kong,  vessels  appeared  as  if  ris- 
ing out  of  the  sea,  their  prows  turned  towards  a  common 
opening  among  the  headlands.  Black  cannon  looked 
down  upon  us  from  many  a  craggy  hilltop,  indicating  a 
fortified  stronghold.  A  pilot  came  aboard  the  ship  as  we 
were  threading  the  narrows,  and  guided  us  safely  to 
anchorage  among  the  multitudinous  ships,  crafts,  from 
nearly  every  port  on  the  globe.  Cruisers,  gunboats,  and 
battleships  of  eight  nations  were  present,  and  in  num- 
bers surpassing  any  naval  pageantry  of  which  I  have  any 
knowledge.  In  Asiatic  waters  there  are  to-day  one  hun- 
dred and  thirty-five  floating  man-killers,  forty-five  belong- 
ing to  Great  Britain,  twenty-three  to  Russia,  twenty-one 
to  France,  sixteen  to  the  United  States,  thirteen  to  Ger- 
many, four  to  Italy,  two  to  Portugal,  and  one  to  Austria. 
Our  battleship  Kentucky  made  a  splendid  appearance  as 


ioo  Around  the  World. 

she  rested  in  the  water  alongside  the  British  battleship 
Glory,  although  the  Stars  and  Stripes  were  floating  over 
a  mass  of  mechanism  two  thousand  tons  the  inferior. 
Near  this  quiet  pair  lay  the  United  States  gunboat  York- 
town  and  the  British  battleship  Ocean,  the  former  regis- 
tering only  seventeen  hundred  and  ten  tons,  while  the  lat- 
ter tipped  the  beam  at  twelve  thousand  nine  hundred  and 
fifty  tons.  I  shall  not  make  further  individual  mention, 
but  pass  this  powerful  fleet  by,  hoping  that  these  vicious- 
looking  guns  observable  on  every  ship  will  never  thunder 
at  each  other,  but  remain  giant  guardians  of  now  peace- 
ful nations. 

I  dined  twice  with  the  captain  and  chaplain  of  the 
British  squadron.  In  comparing  the  American  and  Brit- 
ish navies,  the  captain  remarked :  "Your  ships  and  equip- 
ments are  better  than  ours.  Your  machinery  for  handling 
the  big  guns,  electric,  hydraulic,  and  ventilating  appa- 
ratus surpasses  ours,  but  our  gunners  are  better  marks- 
men, as  we  have  a  longer  term  of  enlistments,  while  your 
men  are  just  in  gunning  trim  when  they  are  let  go.  You 
do  not  let  your  men  have  enough  target  practice."  This 
frank  admission  of  the  conditional  superiority  of  the 
American  navy  was  indeed  a  surprise  to  me,  coming  as 
it  did  from  such  a  source.  Those  not  thoroughly  ac- 
quainted with  America  and  her  almost  exhaustless  re- 
sources are  surprised  at  the  rapidity  manifested  by  the 
United  States  in  leaping  to  the  zenith  among  the  nations 
as  a  world  power.  The  badge  of  American  citizenship 
is  a  possession  for  which  no  apology  is  needed.  It  com- 
mands universal  respect,  and  pitiable  is  the  plight  of  the 
few  who  act  and  talk  as  if  they  were  ashamed  of  their 
brand.  The  few  who  are  everlastingly  apologizing  for 
their  fatherhood  ought  to  migrate  to  China,  where  they 
can  wallow  in  the  embrace  of  an  oblivious  past,  or  go  to 


China — The  International  Puzzle.  iol 

Japan.  But  Japan  would  not  welcome  them,  as  she  has 
no  standing-room  within  her  domain  for  even  the  most 
gifted  sons  of  earth  if  they  are  permeated  with  traitorous 
guilt. 

Hong-Kong  is  an  island  eleven  miles  in  length  and 
from  two  to  four  miles  in  width.  The  name  for  the  city 
is  Victoria,  but  it  is  almost  universally  called  Hong-Kong. 
Tickets  bear  the  name  of  Hong-Kong  instead  of  Vic- 
toria, and  I  think  it  would  be  the  part  of  wisdom  to  drop 
the  word  Victoria  entirely.  The  city  contains  205.000 
Chinese,  4,269  Europeans  and  Americans,  7,263  Portu- 
guese, 2,872  Indians,  Eurasians,  and  other  races,  such 
as  Jews,  Turks,  Mohammedans,  Javanese,  Japanese,  Cin- 
galese, and  Malays,  making  nearly  220,000  in  all.  Splen- 
didly lighted  with  electricity  and  gas,  Hong-Kong  pre- 
sents a  picturesque  sight  at  night.  Standing  at  the  wharf, 
one  may  view  the  city  at  a  glance,  sweeping  in  his 
range  of  vision  miles  of  terraces  reaching  from  the  bund, 
water  front,  to  the  peak,  where  the  Peak  Hotel  proudly 
sits,  monarch  of  all  it  surveys.  Executing  an  "about 
face,"  the  beholder  observes  a  floating  city  blazing  with 
electric  splendor,  every  steamship,  men-of-war,  and  all, 
apparently  striving  to  outdo  its  neighbors  in  the  bril- 
liancy of  its  illuminations. 

The  acreage  of  the  bay  where  the  vessels  are  an- 
chored and  the  number  of  ships  in  port  being  so  great, 
division  into  wards  has  been  necessary  in  order  to  locate 
the  vessels.  A  directory  of  the  vessels  is  kept  by  the 
harbor-master,  indicating  their  presence  and  position, 
making  it  possible  to  find  any  particular  ship  when  freight 
is  consigned  or  passage  taken  to  any  other  port.  I  am 
told  that  Hong-Kong  is  the  world's  third  port  in  im- 
portance. Here  the  American  fleet  was  anchored  when 
Admiral  Dewey  received  the  cablegram  directing  him  to 


102  Around  the  World. 

proceed  at  once  to  Manila,  engage,  and  sink  the  Spanish 
fleet.  The  American  people  will  remember  Hong-Kong 
for  the  hospitable  treatment  accorded  our  fleet  in  offering 
her  harbor  as  a  coaling  station  at  a  time  when  such  cor- 
diality meant  success  to  the  American  navy.  Deprived  of 
a  coaling  station,  our  splendid  equipment  would  have  been 
powerless,  and  the  Spanish  submarine  fleet  would  have 
had  longer  respite  from  Dewey's  belching  batteries.  At 
six  o'clock  every  morning  reverberating  peals  fill  every 
street,  valley,  and  hillside  with  the  thundering  clamor  of 
cannon  on  the  men-of-war  and  land  fortifications,  saying 
to  John  Chinaman  in  well-accented  words,  "Be-good,  or 
we  '11-get-you,"  "Be-good,  or  we  '11-get-you." 

The  crude  idea  of  the  Chinese  causes  them  to  paint 
"eyes"  on  the  bow  of  ships.  Even  the  little  sampans  and 
junks  are  not  complete  without  the  "eyes,"  as  the  res- 
idents of  the  Flowery  Kingdom  say,  "If  no  have  eyes,  how- 
can  see  go?"  The  men-of-war  used  by  the  Chinese  in 
their  war  with  Japan  were  of  English  and  French  man- 
ufacture, and  consequently  without  "eyes."  It  was  an 
oversight  that  the  necessary  "eyes"  were  not  painted 
on  the  vessels  when  purchased,  say  the  Chinese,  and  they 
still  credit  the  defeat  of  their  navy  to  the  fact  that 
their  vessels  were  unable  to  see,  and  thereby  unable  to 
dodge  the  enemy's  shells  and  torpedoes. 

After  a  wreck  on  the  Tientsin-Peking  Railroad,  the 
official  made  report  thereof  to  the  government,  stating 
that  the  disaster  was  caused  by  the  absence  of  "eyes," 
which  ought  to  be  painted  on  the  engine. 

The  Chinese  as  well  as  the  Japanese  pronounce  R  as 
L,,  a  shortcoming  which  often  places  them  in  ludicrous 
positions.  Bishop  Moore  tells  the  story  of  a  table  waiter 
who  undertook  to  ask  a  Mrs.  Rouse  if  she  would  have 


China — The  International  Puzzle.  103 

some  rice.    Data  as  to  the  outcome  of  the  incident  must 
remain  unrecorded. 

Several  Chinese,  who  had  learned  enough  English  to 
associate  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  with  the  Christian 
religion,  were  observing  a  detachment  of  American  sol- 
diers who  were  at  the  task  of  butchering  a  beef.  Every 
time  any  soldier  would  bring  his  large  cleaver  down  with 
all  his  strength  upon  any  part  of  the  beef  he  would  in- 
variably shout  the  name  of  the  world's  Christmas  Gift. 
Whereupon  the  Chinese  remarked  that  America  was 
blessed  with  soldiers  who  are  very  religious,  not  knowing 
that  the  men  were  swearing.  To  the  credit  of  the  Chi- 
nese it  is  said  that  their  language  is  so  constructed  that 
it  will  not  admit  of  swearing. 


VII. 
THE  PHILIPPINES. 

MANILA  AND  ITS  TRANSFORMATION LAZINESS  AS  A  FIL- 
IPINO ART — ONE-HUNDRED-MILE  TRIP  TO  THE  INTERIOR 
OF    LUZON — THE    LADRONES — VISIT    WITH    AGUINALDO. 

I  have  learned  that  it  is  impossible  for  a  person  to 
write  exhaustively  concerning-  a  people  without  associ- 
ating with  that  people  for  a  considerable  length  of  time. 
However,  some  things  are  plainer  than  the  nose  on  a  man's 
face,  and  with  these  I  will  pitch  my  tent.  I  am  unin- 
structed  as  to  what  to  write  on  the  Philippine  question, 
and  therefore  have  no  ax  to  grind,  not  being  a  politician. 
An  episode  connected  with  my  appearance  in  Manila 
teaches  me  that  the  American  people  have  been  deceived 
by  certain  newspaper  corrspondents,  who  have  sold  out 
the  truth  for  gold.  Before  my  arrival  it  was  known  that 
I  represented  an  American  newspaper,  and  on  the  strength 
of  such  knowledge  I  was  offered  a  snug  consideration, 
amounting  to  about  $100  in  gold,  if  I  would  agree  to 
color  my  articles  with  questionable  utterances  according 
to  certain  specifications.  On  account  of  my  offer,  I  fly  to 
the  conclusion  that  others  less  conscientious,  being  less 
able  to  resist  a  strong  temptation,  have  bartered  the  truth 
for  a  price  and  have  dealt  out  error  to  a  truth-seeking 
people.  My  would-be  briber  indulged  in  a  tirade  against 
the  United  States  that  ranked  him  in  my  estimation  as 
one  who  would  drive  a  dagger  to  the  very  heart  of  his 

104 


The  Philippines.  ICK 

Fatherland.  He  insisted  that  those  on  the  other  side  from 
him  would  endeavor  to  buy  me  and  get  me  to  write 
flatteringly  of  them  and  their  cause,  declaring  that  every 
newspaper  here  was  bought  up  and  controlled  by  Ad- 
ministration men  ;  that  any  one  who  endeavored  to  pre- 
sent the  facts  as  they  stand  was  throttled  and  driven  out 
of  business ;  that  the  one  who  exposed  or  endeavored  to 
expose  the  government  officials  was  branded  as  a  sedi- 
tious person  and  worthy  of  deportation.  Uninfluenced 
by  either  side,  I  have  examined  the  situation  as  thoroughly 
as  time  permits,  and  have  gleaned  the  following,  which  I 
present  as  worthy  of  consideration. 

I  am  informed  that  men  have  published  articles  which 
enthused  the  insurrectos.  Said  articles  being  declared 
libelous  by  a  proper  court,  the  authors  have  suffered  pun- 
ishment, one  side  claiming  that  the  penalties  were  just, 
the  other  that  injustice  prevailed.  One  side  claimed  al- 
most absolute  liberty  of  speech,  the  other  proceeded  on 
the  ground  that  anything  that  aided  an  enemy  or  caused 
the  enemy  to  discount  the  honesty  of  the  government 
ought  to  be  suppressed.  I  interviewed  the  manager  of 
an  English  firm,  who  asserts  that  the  customs,  taxes,  and 
duties  are  much  more  severe  under  American  rule  than 
was  ever  experienced  under  Spanish  domination.  Those 
who  favor  the  present  system  answer  the  English  crit- 
icism by  urging  that  the  English  pout  because  they  do  not 
own  the  archipelago,  and  always  comment  unfavorably 
upon  the  American  occupation,  management,  and  rule  of 
the  islands.  They  say  that  the  Americans,  not  being  in 
the  colonial  business,  do  not  understand  the  management 
of  far-off  possessions.  Business  men  of  other  nations  ar- 
gue that,  all  things  being  considered,  the  present  condi- 
tions are  far  superior  to  the  best  that  obtained  under  the 
Spanish  flag,  and  that  the  English  and  Spanish  are  too 


106  Around  the  World. 

slow  to  compete  with  the  pushing  Americans.  All  classes 
are  a  unit  in  agreeing  that  great  credit  is  due  the  Amer- 
icans for  transforming  Manila  into  a  clean  city,  main- 
taining order  by  employing  American  police,  and  clear- 
ing the  islands  of  many  bands  of  outlaws  that  have  been 
a  menace  to  progress  for  hundreds  of  years.  The  Manila 
police  are  Americans,  three-fourths  of  whom,  it  is  said, 
are  college  men  or  graduates  of  high  schools. 

The  progressive,  enterprising  Filipino  is  thankful  for 
American  occupation,  because  he  can  now  till  the  soil 
knowing  that  his  crops  can  be  gathered  in  safety,  whereas 
he  has  heretofore  been  in  constant  uneasiness,  lest  the 
ladrones  (outlaws)  should  sweep  down  upon  him  and 
relieve  him  of  all  the  fruits  of  his  labor.  The  lazy,  pil- 
fering, good-for-nothing  class  is  sadly  disappointed  with 
American  rule,  because  they  can  no  longer  live  by  help- 
ing themselves  to  the  contents  of  their  neighbors'  grana- 
ries. The  commission  recently  passed  a  vagrancy  act.  re- 
quiring every  man  to  show  some  visible  means  of  sup- 
port, or  work  or  go  to  jail.  The  first  person  convicted 
under  the  vagrancy  act  was  an  American.  Such  a  sweep- 
ing proposition  is  beyond  the  comprehension  of  the  aver- 
age Filipino,  who  has  accustomed  himself  to  a  happy-go- 
lucky  way  of  meeting  the  rising  sun.  He  is  shocked  to 
have  his  personal  liberty  taken  away,  and  longs  for  the 
good  old  times  when  the  Spanish  joined  them  in  a  life 
of  idleness.  Under  Spanish  rule  the  wages  paid  a  Fil- 
ipino was  twenty  cents  (Mex.),  while  to-day  he  is  paid 
one  dollar  and  fifty  cents  per  day  (Mex.). 

The  better  class,  so  far  as  I  have  learned,  are  per- 
fectly delighted  with  the  American  policy,  while  the  lower 
class,  who  give  the  army  so  much  trouble,  are  bitterly 
opposed  to  the  new-fangled  notions  of  our  energetic  na- 
tion of  the  Occident.    Some  very  conservative  Americans 


The  Philippines.  107 

in  Manila  wonder  that  there  is  not  more  opposition  to 
these  advanced  ideas,  for  the  Filipino  has  lived  in  a  trop- 
ical sun  through  the  centuries.  Bananas,  oranges,  and  all 
kinds  of  fruit  grow  in  ahundance  about  his  door ;  the  fish 
fill  his  nets  till  they  break  ;  the  climate  being  warm,  he 
needs  few  clothes ;  hence,  why  should  he  work  ?  With 
so  much  providence  on  his  side  it  is  a  wonder  that  he 
does  as  much  as  is  to  his  credit. 

I  have  just  returned  from  a  hundred-mile  tour  into 
the  interior,  and  I  am  absolutely  amazed  at  what  has  been 
accomplished  by  the  boys  who  marched  under  the  Stars 
and  Stripes.  No  historian  will  ever  be  able  to  chronicle 
the  hardships  endured  patiently  by  the  American  sol- 
diers. Under  a  burning  sun  they  marched,  wading  or 
swimming  swollen  rivers,  sleeping  upon  damp  ground  or 
in  dashing  rain  that  descended  in  raging  torrents,  facing 
poisoned  bullets  by  day  and  risking  treacherous  bolos  by 
night — on  they  went,  until  the  last  band  of  the  most 
treacherous,  unprincipled  guerrillas  that  ever  faced  a 
brave  man  was  either  captured  or  driven  into  the  fast- 
nesses of  the  mountain  forests.  In  a  land  where  the  ac- 
climated natives  grow  lazy  and  the  Americans  find  work 
unappetizing,  the  boys  in  blue  were  forced  to  labor  in 
the  face  of  difficuties  towering  mountains  high. 

I  have  visited  Southern  battlefields  in  company  with 
officers  who  there  won  their  laurels,  and  I  would  not  de- 
tract an  iota,  if  I  could,  from  the  luster  of  the  deeds  the 
rank  and  file  inscribed  upon  history's  crimson  page,  nor 
minimize  the  excellency  of  their  service,  but  I  would 
insist  that  the  archives  of  American  history  will  be  in- 
complete that  fail  to  glisten  with  entablatures  portraying 
the  self-sacrificing  heroism  of  the  brave  boys  who,  an- 
swering their  country's  call,  marched  in  the  face  of  death 


108  Around  the  World. 

through  the  Philippines.  That  war  has  cost  much  blood 
and  treasure,  but  that  does  not  alter  the  fact  that  almost 
infinitely  more  has  been  accomplished  by  the  American 
soldier  than  the  people  at  home  have  placed  to  their  credit. 
I  am  not  philosophizing  over  the  problem  of  the  right  or 
the  wrong  of  the  American  flag  being  planted  in  the  Arch- 
ipelago, but  am  endeavoring  to  portray  facts  as  they  ap- 
pear to  an  impartial  writer.  Right  or  wrong,  the  past 
is  a  fact,  and  must  be  dealt  with  as  such.  But  what  to 
do  with  the  islands  is  the  problem  of  the  twentieth  cen- 
tury. The  greatest  wisdom  must  be  exercised  by  Con- 
gress and  the  Taft  Commission  in  order  to  steer  the  Ship 
of  State  safely  through  the  quieting  of  the  present  storm 
into  the  harbor  of  the  future  without  running  aground. 

About  fort}-  miles  out  from  Manila  an  American  sol- 
dier told  that  a  Tennessee  sharpshooter  was  sent  from 
an  outpost  to  headquarters  with  fifteen  prisoners.  He 
arrived  at  headquarters  alone  and  reported  that  he  was 
sent  to  report  with  fifteen  prisoners  of  war.  On  being 
asked  where  his  men  were,  he  replied  that  they  all  tried 
to  get  away  and  were  then  strung  along  the  road  dead 
as  sardines.  The  sight  of  fifteen  dead  Filipinos  along  the 
roadside  is  not  conducive  to  the  creation  of  love  for  the 
soldier,  and  I  have  no  doubt  that  it  would  be  wrong 
to  all  concerned  to  appoint  soldliers  to  certain  positions. 
Several  times  I  inquired  whether  I  was  safe,  and  was 
invariably  informed  that  I  was  if  I  had  not  been  a  soldier, 
or  if  I  had  been  I  must  not  let  it  be  known. 

At  Calumpit,  a  city  of  fourteen  thousand  Filipinos,  I 
went  everywhere,  being  accompanied  by  only  three  Amer- 
icans and  one  native,  the  Rev.  Nicholas  Zamora,  who  is 
regarded  as  the  Demosthenes  or  Patrick  Henry  of  the 
Archipelago.  As  a  preacher  he  is  a  cyclone.  He  is  pas- 
tor of  the  largest  church  in  Manila,  and  is  in  the  employ 


The  Philippines.  109 

of  the  missionary  society,  his  half-tone  having  recently 
appeared  in  American  papers. 

The  report  having  reached  Manila  that  a  native 
preacher  and  leading  members  of  his  flock  were  in  jail  at 
Calnmpit,  forty-six  miles  out,  we  decided  to  investigate 
the  matter  in  order  to  see  that  justice  might  be  adminis- 
tered if  the  persons  were  guilty  of  some  offense,  and 
their  freedom  secured  if  guiltless.  On  our  arrival  we 
learned  that  a  Spaniard,  having  observed  that  the  religion 
apparently  imported  from  America  was  gaining  ground 
by  leaps  and  bounds,  and  thinking  that  something  ought 
to  be  done  at  once  to  check  its  progress,  laid  in  wait  for 
an  excuse  to  strike  it  a  blow.  Accordingly  he  attended  a 
meeting,  and  noticing  that  a  collection  was  taken,  then 
went  out  and  took  oath  that  a  meeting  was  being  held 
and  money  was  being  raised  to  assist  the  insurgents, 
and  that  the  meeting  was  held  to  defy  the  United  States 
Government.  Nine  of  the  leading  ones  were  summoned 
to  appear  before  a  Spanish  justice  of  the  peace,  who,  it 
seems,  with  the  other  Spaniards  in  the  islands,  would  be 
srlad  to  have  them  raise  monev  for  the  ladrones.  The 
presidente,  a  Spaniard,  committed  them  to  jail.  They 
had  been  in  jail  four  days  when  we  reached  them,  and  they 
received  us  as  gladly  behind  the  bars  as  if  we  were  angels 
of  mercy.  Passing  into  the  jail,  I  noticed  a  Filipino 
guard  lying  within  the  door,  his  rifle  by  his  side  and  a 
well-filled  belt  of  cartridges  about  his  waist.  I  shall  not 
forget  the  hearty  handshake  and  the  smiles  of  gratitude 
that  were  in  evidence  as  we  four  filed  into  the  hall  of  pros- 
ecution. 

It  is  said  the  Filipino  is  absolutely  devoid  of  the  sense 
of  gratitude.  I  want  to  set  my  testimony  against  the 
utter  falsity  of  that  accusation.  If  I  ever  saw  an  evidence 
of  gratitude   anywhere,   it   was   manifested   within   that 


HO  Around  the  World. 

Calumpit  jail.  I  have  traveled  almost  ten  thousand  miles 
on  this  journey  and  would  willingly  double  the  distance, 
if  neecT  be,  through  sunshine  and  storm,  surrounded  by 
dangers,  for  an  experience  that  would  do  me  an  equal 
amount  of  good.  Heroism  for  gospel  truth  and  fidelity  to 
God  are  not  dead.  When  America  presents  to  the  Filipino 
the  gospel  instead  of  the  bullet,  evidences  of  gratitude 
will  be  abundant,  and  no  two-by-four  scantling  news- 
paper correspondent  will  then  need  to  apologize  for  the 
Filipino's  lack  of  gratitude  for  what  Uncle  Sam  has  done 
for  the  Archipelago. 

Questioning  these  prisoners  as  to  how  they  were 
treated,  they  replied  through  our  interpreter :  "We  are 
not  permitted  to  hold  any  kind  of  service.  Can  not  sing 
a  song.  Our  food  comes  from  the  door  of  heaven ;  our 
friends  who  are  Christians  bring  us  our  meals  from  their 
homes."  The  rear  of  the  jail  was  left  open  so  they  could 
escape,  as  the  Spanish  authorities  say  they  had  no  case, 
and  evidently  desired  to  have  them  break  jail,  as  they 
might  term  it,  and  then  bring  a  genuine  case  against 
them.  But  the  Christians  were  not  to  be  fooled  in  that 
manner.  The  guard  went  to  sleep  as  another  inducement, 
but  that  ruse  failed.  The  Spanish  presidente  saw  that 
our  presence  meant  business,  and,  knowing  that  there 
were  no  grounds  for  a  case  whatever,  tried  to  clear  him- 
self by  turning  it  over  to  the  Court  of  First  Instance, 
presided  over  by  an  American  judge,  who  was  only  too 
anxious  to  free  the  persecuted  ones.  But  this  does  not 
end  of  the  matter.  The  American  officials  say  that  the 
Spanish  trickery  will  cost  that  official  his  place  and  stand 
as  a  warning  to  other  Spaniards  who  occupy  similar  posi- 
tions. A  religious  controversy  is  on  now.  but  T  shall  not 
entangle  myself  with  it,  although  it  was  thoroughly  ex- 
plained to  me  by  Governor  Taft  during  my  first  interview 


The  Philippines.  Ill 

with  him  at  the  palace.  If  Governor  Taft  were  as  popular 
in  America  as  lie  appears  to  be  in  Manila,  he  would  get 
almost  anything  he  might  be  pleased  to  ask  for. 

I  am,  indeed,  sorry  that  the  Philippine  question  has 
political  signification  in  the  States ;  but  since  no  political 
party  is  a  unit  in  its  attitude  toward  the  solution  of  this 
tremendous  elephant,  I  set  forth  the  facts  as  I  find  them, 
without  a  grain  of  coloring  to  correspond  with  any  pre- 
conceived ideas,  being  willing  to  let  the  truth  apply  itself 
as  it  may. 

At  Nagasaki  I  conversed  with  several  soldiers  aboard 
the  transport  Thomas,  on  their  way  from  Manila  to  San 
Francisco.  Every  soldier  with  whom  I  talked  said:  "Bet- 
ter not  go  to  Manila.  The  constabulary  are  all  going 
over  to  the  insurgents  with  their  rifles  and  ammunition. 
The  authorities  at  Manila,  fearing  an  uprising  at  any  mo- 
ment, are  throwing  up  barricades  and  digging  intrench- 
ments  about  Manila  in  order  to  protect  the  city."  From 
Shanghai  to  Hong-Kong,  Lieutenant  Wigmore,  serving 
on  the  staff  of  General  Davis,  and  I  occupied  the  same 
cabin.  On  relating  the  statements  of  the  soldiers  to  him, 
he  requested  that  I  say  nothing  about  it  to  Mrs.  Davis 
and  daughters,  who  were  also  on  the  same  steamship 
with  us,  as  it  would  cause  them  considerable  uneasiness, 
General  Davis  having  his  headquarters  in  Manila  at  the 
time. 

Such  conditions  were  not  attractive  to  one  contem- 
plating a  visit  to  the  Philippine  metropolis,  but  sufficient 
courage  was  mustered  on  my  arrival  at  Hong-Kong  to 
cause  me  to  buy  a  round-trip  ticket.  Having  a  fast  ves- 
sel, a  voyage  of  a  day  and  a  half  brought  us  in  sight  of 
Luzon's  northwestern  point,  a  half-day's  sail  from  Manila. 
With  a  good  glass  we  could  see  smoke  rising  as  if  a  great 
battle  might  be  in  progress ;  but,  as  we  neared  the  shore 


H2  Around  the  World. 

an  hour  later,  it  was  evident  that  the  natives  were  busy 
burning  trash  preparatory  to  planting  rice.  At  one  o'clock 
P.  M.  we  passed  Corregidor  Island,  and  in  less  than  two 
hours  Cavite  and  Manila  were  reached.  United  States 
men-of-war  and  craft  from  the  world's  ports  were  every- 
where, but  no  sound  of  musketry  or  the  whoop  of  war- 
riors bold  was  heard.  We  landed,  passed  the  usual  cus- 
tom-house examination,  and  arrived  at  our  hotel  without 
being  killed  or  even  boloed.  Colonels,  majors,  captains, 
lieutenants,  and  business  men  galore  were  all  about  me, 
and  I  soon  learned  that  the  soldiers'  story  was  a  fake; 
that  the  nearest  point  to  Manila,  at  which  any  fortifying 
was  ever  done  by  the  Americans,  was  seven  miles  out, 
and  that  was  in  1899;  that  there  were  no  insurgents  any- 
where in  the  islands  now  under  arms  excepting  ladrones 
(outlaws),  who  are  in  hiding  in  the  southernmost  islands 
(several,  however,  I  learn,  are  to  be  found  even  in  the 
suburbs  of  Manila)  ;  that  some  of  the  provinces  had 
elected  American  governors  by  direct  vote  of  the  people ; 
and  that  such  a  state  of  peace  had  been  attained  that  the 
prisoners  of  war  were  turned  loose  by  proclamation  last 
July ;  that  multitudes  of  prisoners  swelled  the  ladrone 
ranks  and  added  fuel  to  the  flames. 

I  was  informed  that  Aguinaldo  has  no  following  what- 
ever, it  being  doubtful  whether  he  could  be  elected  to  the 
smallest  office  by  his  own  people,  because  he  was  untrue 
to  them  in  many  ways.  In  the  first  place,  the  Filipinos 
claim  that  Aguinaldo  was  in  the  campaign  for  what  he 
could  get  out  of  it.  When  he  co-operated  with  the 
American  forces  aginst  the  Spanish,  he  ordered  his  men 
to  loot  the  city  when  Manila  was  taken.  They  began,  but 
were  stopped  by  the  American  officers,  saying  that  loot- 
ing would  not  be  tolerated,  whereupon  Aguinaldo  ordered 
his  men  to  fire  upon  the  American  soldiers.     War  was 


The  Philippines.  in 

on.  Aguinaldo  kept  his  agents  out  collecting  money  from 
the  Filipinos  with  which  to  carry  on  the  war.  Instead  of 
paying  the  soldiers  with  the  cash  collected,  Aguinaldo 
kept  it,  sending  it  to  Hong-Kong  as  fast  as  large  amounts 
were  accumulated,  his  soldiers  remaining  unpaid.  He  has 
the  money  now  on  deposit  in  Hong-Kong,  and  expects 
to  open  a  bank  of  his  own,  being  wealthy  and  living 
in  luxury. 

The  discovery  of  the  Philippines  in  1 521  is  credited  to 
Magellan.  The  group  embraces  about  five  hundred  is- 
lands, having  an  area  of  one  hundred  and  forty  thou- 
sand square  miles,  and  a  population  of  seven  million. 
The  eight  larger  islands,  named  in  order  according  to 
area  and  beginning  with  the  largest,  are :  Luzon,  Min- 
danao, Samar,  Mindoro,  Panay,  Leyte,  Negros,  and  Cebu. 
Manila,  the  largest  city,  and  located  on  Luzon,  has  a 
population  estimated  at  three  hundred  and  fifty  thou- 
sand. The  chief  products  of  the  islands  are  hemp,  to- 
bacco, sugar,  coffee,  indigo,  cotton,  corn,  bananas,  or- 
anges, pineapples,  cocoanuts,  and  mangoes.  It  is  approx- 
imated that  less  than  one-tenth  of  the  soil  is  cultivated, 
and  that  a  sufficient  number  of  cocoanuts  are  not  gath- 
ered each  year  to  enrich  a  small  kingdom.  The  total  ex- 
ports last  year  of  all  commodities  were  $20,761,268,  or 
about  $51,900,000  (Mex.).  There  are  vast  forests  of 
ebony,  camphor,  and  teak,  while  gold,  copper,  petroleum, 
coal,  and  sulphur  are  in  evidence.  The  public  buildings 
erected  by  the  Spanish  which  fell  into  the  hands  of  the 
LTnited  States  under  the  twenty-million  purchase  clause  of 
the  treaty  of  Paris,  are  alone  worth  millions.  The  presence 
of  Filipino  millionaires  living  in  palatial  dwellings, 
erected  at  enormous  expense  in  the  city  of  Manila,  is 
indeed  a  surprise  to  me,  as  my  imagination  had  pictured 
8 


114  Around  the  World. 

the  metropolis  of  the  Philippines  as  an  aggregation  of 
shacks. 

Manila  is  to  have  electric  cars  to  supplant  those  now 
plying  her  streets,  which  are  drawn  by  ponies.  Each  car 
bears  the  inscription  on  either  side,  "Tranvias  de  Fil- 
ipinas."  I  have  never  visited  a  city  in  which  transpor- 
tation facilities  were  in  greater  demand,  nor  have  I  ever 
seen  Chicago  or  New  York  more  crowded  with  vehicles 
or  pedestrians. 

One  could  scarcely  imagine  a  more  delightful  drive 
than  that  afforded  by  the  Lunetta,  Manila's  popular  re- 
sort. Here  may  be  seen  numerous  costly  rubber-tired 
carriages,  drawn  by  prancing  steeds  imported  from  Aus- 
tralia. Society  as  seen  here  can  easily  give  the  bon-tons 
of  America  lessons  in  expensive  equipments.  Governor 
Taft  gave  a  reception  at  the  Malacanan  Palace  Thursday 
evening,  where  Spaniards,  Filipinos,  and  Americans  min- 
gled as  joyfully  as  if  no  cruel  bullets  had  ever  measured 
the  distance  between  the  lines  of  rival  armies.  My  friend 
assured  me  that  he  had  seen  a  Filipino  lady  at  a  similar 
function  wearing  diamonds  worth  at  least  one  hundred 
thousand  dollars.  The  musical  program  at  this  reception 
was  rendered  by  Filipino  ladies,  who  are  noted  for  their 
musical  skill.  It  is  said  that  a  Filipino  takes  to  music 
as  a  duck  takes  to  water.  The  table  containing  gener- 
ous refreshments  measured  ten  feet  in  diameter,  being 
made  in  one  piece  from  a  section  of  a  tree  brought  from 
Mindoro.  The  mammoth  trees  in  the  Philippines  sur- 
prised me. 

Great  strides  are  being  made  commercially,  which 
the  Filipinos  see,  and  credit  to  American  occupation. 
Under  Spanish  rule  an  Englishman  rented  a  property, 
taking  a  lease  at  $50  per  month  for  a  term  of  thirty  years. 
He  now  rents  it  for  $500  per  month,  and  I  met  a  man 


The  Philippines.  1 1  c 

who  will  give  $700  per  month  for  it.  Before  the  Amer- 
icans came  a  man  offered  a  piece  of  property  for  $147. 
No  one  wanted  it  at  that  figure.  He  sold  it  recently 
for  $6,000.  It  is  a  common  saying  that  things  leap  to 
mountain  heights  when  Uncle  Sam  stamps  them  with 
his  brand.  The  natives  seem  to  be  delighted  to  be  mar- 
ried by  American  clergymen,  a  conclusion  proven  by  the 
fact  that  my  clergyman  friend  has  officiated  at  thirteen 
hundred  marriages  in  eighteen  months,  a  record  unap- 
proached  in  America. 

A  purchasing  agent  for  the  insular  government  in- 
forms me  that  Manila  offers  splendid  inducements  for  a 
hardware  firm,  there  being  but  one  place  in  the  city 
where  one  can  purchase  a  full  stock  of  carpenter  and  ma- 
chinist tools,  and  that  place  is  owned  and  operated  by  a 
Chinaman,  who  has  cleared  over  $200,000  the  past  two 
years  in  a  room  not  over  forty  feet  square.  The  pro- 
prietor of  the  Oriente  Hotel,  the  best  in  the  city,  has 
cleared  $70,000  the  past  two  years.  All  hotels  are  usually 
crowded.  It  is  a  wonder  that  some  manufacturer  of  rope 
does  not  set  up  a  factory  here.  At  present  hemp  is  shipped 
to  Hong-Kong,  made  into  rope,  and  shipped  back,  the 
dealer  paying  a  heavy  duty.  Saloon-keepers  complain 
that  their  business  is  very  dull,  as  so  many  soldiers  have 
been  returned  to  the  States,  and  the  natives,  as  a  rule, 
do  not  patronize  them.  A  man  who  has  lived  here  two 
and  a  half  years  asserts  that  he  has  seen  only  two  intox- 
icated natives.  A  cocoanut  soap  factory  would  be  a  pay- 
ing proposition  here.  At  present  the  soap  makers  of  Ger- 
many are  heavy  purchasers  of  that  particular  product. 

From  the  department  of  public  land  I  learn  that  there 
are  fifty  million  acres  of  government  land  in  the  Phil- 
ippines. That  part  which  is  covered  with  mammoth 
trees  is  worth  hundreds  of  dollars  per  acre.     To  nearly 


Ii6  Around  the  World. 

every  official  I  have  put  the  following  question,  "Did  the 
American  government  pay  too  much  when  it  gave  $20,- 
000,000  in  settling  with  Spain  ?"  In  every  case  the  answer 
has  come  that  the  sum  paid  represents  only  the  smallest 
fraction  of  the  value  of  the  possessions,  causing  one  to 
call  in  question  the  ethics  of  getting  so  much  by  paying 
so  little.  But  the  question  takes  on  a  different  dress  when 
the  cost  of  holding  the  islands  is  considered  in  treasure 
and  bloocl.  On  the  other  hand,  many  of  the  Filipinos 
look  upon  the  Americans  as  deliverers,  as  the  Americans 
first  delivered  them  from  the  iron  hand  of  the  Spaniards, 
and  secondly  from  the  ladrones,  who  have  been  a  menace 
to  progress  for  three  hundred  years.  The  ladrones  are 
Filipinos,  but  are  to  the  honest  Filipinos  what  the  James 
boys  were  to  honest  Americans.  There  are  doubtless  hun- 
dreds of  ladrones,  and  possibly  thousands,  now  in  Ma- 
nila and  vicinity,  not  so  much  in  opposition  to  the  Amer- 
ican flag,  but  engaged  in  disposing  of  the  loot  being 
brought  into  the  city  by  their  confederates  throughout  the 
islands.  I  was  very  particular  in  questioning  Governor 
Taft  regarding  the  ladrones,  and  will  here  outline,  not 
quoting  verbatim,  such  of  his  remarks  as  may  appeal  to 
me  to  be  of  general  interest. 

The  ladrones  are  a  band  of  outlaws,  who  have  flour- 
ished for  three  hundred  years,  were  regarded  by  the  Fil- 
ipinos as  a  necessary  evil  to  be  endured.  Around  some 
of  their  leaders  stories  of  the  Robin  Hood  type  clus- 
tered, and  to  this  day  the  average  Filipino  is  usually 
afraid  to  give  information  against  a  well-known  ladrone, 
fearing  the  wrath  of  the  one  informed  against.  Every  one 
knows  of  the  nameless  cruelty  that  characterizes  the  la- 
drone's  dealings  with  any  object  of  his  hatred.  Ladrones 
have  buried  soldiers  alive ;  have  tortured  them  in  a  thou- 
sand ways,  taking  their  life  an  inch  at  a  time.     Being 


The  Philippines.  n7 

unable  to  contend  with  our  soldiers,  they  are  engaged  in 
their  old  practice  of  looting  by  night  and  hiding  by  day. 
Having  gotten  their  loot  into  Manila,  it  is  easily  sold. 
We  are  now  doing  our  best  to  keep  them  out  of  the 
city.  The  governors  of  all  the  provinces  are  co-operating 
with  the  constabulary  and  the  army  in  stamping  ladronism 
out  of  the  islands.  It  will  be  done,  but  it  may  take  time. 
Another  difficulty  we  have  to  contend  with  is  the  pres- 
ence in  the  Philippines  of  a  certain  undesirable  class  of 
Americans  who  take  pride  in  causing  us  all  the  trouble 
possible. 

They  send  untrue  reports  to  American  papers.  For 
instance,  I  saw  an  account  in  a  daily  paper  that  the  con- 
stabulary in  Samar  had  gone  over  to  the  ladrones  and  in- 
surrectos,  and  that  four  thousand  men  were  after  our 
forces,  many  being  shot.  Being  used  to  false  reports,  I 
paid  no  attention  to  the  newspaper  article  and  awaited 
official  news,  as  I  have  responsible  men  throughout  the 
islands  and  am  informed  officially  regarding  every  move- 
ment. In  less  than  two  days  I  received  the  expected  re- 
port, but  instead  of  receiving  the  news  set  forth  in  the 
newspaper  article,  I  was  informed  that  a  member  of  the 
constabulary  had  been  shot  by  one  of  his  party  by  acci- 
dent, and  the  four  thousand  ladrones  were  a  handful  of 
men  whom  our  forces  were  driving  back,  and  their  cap- 
ture was  expected  in  a  few  days.  In  answer  to  my  ques- 
tion about  the  papers  being  bought  by  the  Administra- 
tion or  Administration  men,  he  said  that  the  incessant 
falsifying  of  the  army  and  government  would  cease  if 
such  were  the  case. 

We  visited  Aguinaldo  at  his  home  in  Manila  about 
seven  o'clock  in  the  evening.  He  met  us  at  the  door 
dressed  in  white.  He  lives  on  the  second  floor,  as  nearly 
all  Filipinos  and  Americans  do,  horses  and  carriages  oc- 


Iig  Around  the  World. 

cupying  the  first  floor.  In  the  room  to  the  left  of  the 
entrance  were  a  half  dozen  women  and  children ;  the  room 
to  the  right  being  unoccupied,  we  were  led  thither,  and 
given  chairs.  On  being  introduced  at  the  door  by  our 
interpreter,  an  old  acquaintance  of  the  Filipino  general, 
a  hearty  handshake  followed,  assuring  us  that  we  were 
welcome.  Prior  to  his  military  campaigning,  he  was  a 
schoolteacher  at  Cavite.  Through  the  series  of  cross- 
questionings  to  which  lie  has  been  subjected,  he  has  shown 
remarkable  shrewdness.  If  he  does  not  want  to  answer  a 
question  directly,  he  knows  exactly  how  to  evade  the 
point  at  issue  by  a  system  of  answering  that  would  have 
been  creditable  to  the  Greek  oracle. 

Governor  Taft  said  that  the  Filipino's  ability  to  evade 
the  truth  was  his  most  marked  characteristic.  I  was 
impressed  that  Emelio  Aguinaldo  was  uneasy,  real  un- 
easy, about  something.  He  is  pleased  that  the  army 
officials  did  not  behead  him,  but  gave  him  his  liberty.  From 
what  I  have  gathered,  his  apparent  uneasiness  arises  from 
the  advertising  given  him  by  Mrs.  Gougar,  who  sug- 
gested his  name  for  the  "Presidency  of  the  real  Filipino 
Republic  yet  to  be  estabished."  He  has  no  ambition  in 
that  direction,  but  is  anxious  about  his  proposed  mam- 
moth banking  project,  application  for  which  has  gone  to 
the  War  Department.  His  son  is  attending  an  English 
school  in  Manila,  the  teacher  being  an  American  lady 
on  the  pay-roll  of  the  Insular  government.  On  being 
told  that  the  teacher  had  remarked  that  his  son  was 
very  bright  and  did  everything  in  a  military  way,  possess- 
ing a  military  bearing,  Mr.  Aguinaldo  was  quite  pleased, 
and  was  so  glad  to  hear  it  that  he  requested  the  inter- 
preter to  repeat  the  statement,  which  he  did.  causing 
smiles  of  gladness  to  chase  each  other  over  his  counte- 
nance.    I  was  glad  to  note  this  evidence  of  appreciation 


The  Philippines.  no 

on  the  part  of  a  father.  If  appearances  are  to  be  relied 
upon,  Aguinaldo  is  no  more  than  twenty-four  years  of 
age.  But  considering  his  history,  I  would  not  be  sur- 
prised to  learn  that  he  has  passed  the  thirty-fourth  sum- 
mer. In  height  he  is  above  the  average  Filipino,  though 
he  lacks  inches  of  reaching  my  shoulders,  a  measurement 
taken  as  I  bade  him  good-bye  in  the  vestibule. 

I  was  fortunate  in  being  in  Manila  at  a  time  when 
all  the  provincial  governors  were  in  the  city.  After  meet- 
ing them  at  the  Taft  reception,  together  with  the  cardinal 
sent  from  Rome  by  the  Pope  to  adjust  the  friars'  claims, 
I  also  saw  them  as  the  artillery,  cavalry,  and  infantry 
marched  in  review  around  the  Lunetta  in  honor  of  the 
governors'  visit.  As  the  majority  of  the  governors  are 
Filipinos  and  one  battalion  of  the  army  marching  in 
review  was  composed  of  Filipinos  wearing  American  uni- 
forms and  carrying  American  guns  under  the  American 
flag,  it  is  needless  to  state  that  the  applause  was  terrific 
when  that  battalion  marched  by  with  perfect  step,  each 
soldier  as  proud  as  if  he  were  king  of  the  universe.  I 
questioned  their  former  commander  in  regard  to  their 
loyalty.  He  replied  that  no  American  soldier  was  more 
loyal  than  they.  I  saw  some  of  Dewey's  compliments  in 
Manila,  holes  made  by  his  well-trained  cannon. 

One  of  the  interesting  places  to  visit  in  Manila  is  the 
"boneyard,"  so  called  because  there  the  bones  or  unde- 
cayed  bodies  of  the  dead  are  thrown  when  the  rent  for 
any  reason  is  not  paid  at  the  mortuary.  I  walked  through 
this  hideous  place  amid  putrescent  skulls  and  bones,  and 
was  very  glad  when  the  task  was  over. 

Harbor  improvements  to  cost  $3,000,000  are  now  in 
progress.  When  completed,  the  largest  ships  can  dis- 
charge their  cargo  without  the  bothersome  and  expensive 
transhipment  now  a  necessity. 


!20  Around  the  World. 

Through  interviews  with  American  schoolteachers,  I 
learn  that  the  native  children  are  quick  in  mastering 
the  English  language.  One  teacher  asserts  that  a  class 
of  girls  aged  twelve,  beginning  last  June,  have  translated 
an  English  book  of  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  pages 
into  Tagalog.  He  also  says  that  they  are  obedient, 
having  had  less  trouble  in  controlling  four  hundred  Tag- 
alogs  than  he  experienced  in  managing  twenty  Americans. 
This  teacher  has  a  dictionary  of  seven  thousand  Tagalog 
words  ready  for  the  printer.  The  natives  provide  the 
school  building  and  pay  the  native  teachers,  while  the 
Insular  government  pays  the  American  teachers,  and 
provides  American  text-books  gratis.  Through  Dr.  F.  W. 
Atkinson,  superintendent  of  the  Department  of  Education, 
I  learn  that  while  much  has  been  accomplished,  the  work 
is  not  yet  thoroughly  organized  according  to  his  ideal. 
Several  Filipinos  are  now  in  America  as  students,  and 
many  more  are  arranging  to  enter  the  States  for  study. 
So  great  is  the  desire  to  attend  American  schools  that 
provinces  and  towns  are  planning  to  pay  the  expenses  of 
students  in  America  who  manifest  extraordinary  genius. 

Some  Americans  thrive  here  physically,  while  many 
others,  not  so  easily  acclimated,  become  little  more  than 
walking  skeletons,  and  are  forced  to  sail  for  China  or 
Japan  on  periodical  vacations.  Occasionally  this  tropical 
climate  sends  its  victim  on  that  longest  of  vacations,  with- 
out the  convenience  of  a  return  ticket. 

I  shall  not  venture  to  draw  my  bow  in  a  political 
discussion  of  the  Philippine  question,  but  simply  submit 
my  observation,  though  very  much  abbreviated,  and  shall 
consider  my  detour  to  the  Archipelago  not  vain  if  per- 
chance I  have  succeeded  in  helping  any  one  in  his  under- 
standing of  the  Philippine  situation  by  the  introduction 
of  even  one  diminutive  ray  of  light. 


VIII. 
CHINA  REVISITED. 

MANILA  TO  HONG-KONG — BRITISH-AMERICAN  BOAT-RACE — 
CANTON,  THE  UNIVERSITY  CITY — DECEPTION  AN  ART — 
THE  EXECUTION    GROUND. 

Desiring  a  more  extended  acquaintance  with  Chi- 
nese life  as  it  appears  inland,  I  sailed  ninety  miles  up  the 
Pearl  River  to  Canton,  a  city  whose  population  is  esti- 
mated at  three  million  people,  two  hundred  thousand 
of  whom  live  in  house-boats  or  junks  on  the  river.  Many 
of  them  are  aged,  and.  it  is  said,  have  never  stepped  upon 
land,  born,  marry,  and  grow  old  in  floating  hovels. 

Canton  is  not  only  the  largest,  but  is  also  the  most 
unique,  city  I  ever  saw.  Xot  a  wheeled  vehicle  was  to  be 
seen,  and  only  two  or  three  horses,  which  appeared  more 
lonesome  in  that  sea  of  humanity  than  I  imagined  I 
looked.  An  edict  was  issued  that  no  street  should 
be  less  than  seven  feet  in  width,  and  few  are  more  than 
that,  as  the  Chinese  are  very  economical  of  ground.  A 
succession  of  business  houses,  five  to  twelve  feet  square, 
lined  each  side  of  the  street,  and  each,  desiring  more 
room,  has  placed  a  sort  of  a  platform  in  front  of  his 
shop  in  order  to  display  his  goods.  Consequently,  as  I 
went  by,  I  could  help  myself  to  wares  on  both  sides  of 
the  street  at  the  same  time.  With  my  right  hand  dried 
rats,  or  rats  just  butchered,  along  with  quail,  pheasants, 
chicken,  fish  of  every  kind,  meats,  etc.,  could  be  gathered 

121 


122  Around  the  World. 

and  lodged  in  my  chair,  while  my  left  was  gathering 
bananas,  oranges  cakes,  and  apples,  or  at  the  next  shop, 
separated  only  by  a  thin  partition,  silks  and  numerous 
varieties  of  fancy  work,  silver,  lacquer,  and  ivory  ware, 
available  at  almost  give-away  prices.  These  conditions 
prevail  through  the  city,  a  multitude  of  purchasers  from 
the  vast  empire  being  everywhere  in  evidence. 

He  who  records  his  conviction  that  the  Chinese  do 
not  eat  rats  may  rise  and  explain  why  so  many  rats  are 
displayed  on  the  market  and  sold  for  cash.  Canton  is 
the  city  of  greatest  wealth  and  direst  poverty.  The 
wealthiest  will  never  know  how  much  they  are  worth, 
while  the  poor  are  too  poor  to  afford  rat  oftener  than 
once  a  week.  I  saw  the  servant  of  an  apparentlv  well- 
to-do  Cantonese  throw  some  scraps  into  the  filthiest  canal 
the  human  intellect  is  capable  of  imagining,  and  in  an 
instant  a  human  form  was  on  the  spot  with  a  pole  trying 
to  fish  them  from  the  filth,  skum,  and  vermin  of  that 
putrid  water.  Many  of  the  so-called  streets  are  covered 
entirely  by  the  protruding  roofs,  presenting  a  spectacle 
that  has  won  for  Canton  the  name  of  "Streetless  City." 
When  passing  through  the  city,  one  is  impressed  that  he 
is  in  an  immense  building  cut  up  by  narrow  halls  or  al- 
leys, where  the  sun  is  seldom  seen. 

The  stone  wall  about  Canton  is  twenty-five  miles  long, 
about  fifty  feet  wide,  and  from  twenty  to  fifty  feet  in 
height.  Crude  cannon  are  stationed  at  intervals.  I  as- 
cended the  walk  and  found  the  cannon  arranged  so  that 
they  could  be  fired  only  on  a  line  in  front.  The  British 
and  French  took  advantage  of  this,  and  marched  up  to 
the  wall  in  lines,  thereby  avoiding  the  cannonading.  Af- 
ter Canton  was  taken  the  official  in  charge  reported  to 
Peking  that  the  "foreign  devils  did  not  fight  fair,  as  they 
approached  in  thin  lines,  making  it  impossible  to  use  the 


China  Revisited.  1 23 

cannon  on  them."  In  building  the  walls,  the  Chinese  had 
no  better  idea  of  war  than  to  believe  that  an  enemy 
would  stand  up  where  he  could  be  shot  most  readily  and 
easily.  If  the  wealth  utilized  in  building  Chinese  walls, 
which  are  now  worse  than  useless,  had  been  expended 
in  establishing  schools  and  hospitals,  the  dense  midnight 
darkness  of  the  present  would  soon  be  relegated  to  the 
backwoods  of  history. 

A  Chinaman  regards  aptness  at  deceiving  as  a  neces- 
sary qualification  to  a  successful  life,  and  if  deception 
was  ever  reduced  to  an  art  it  is  done  in  China.  When  a 
storm  is  approaching,  the  Chinaman,  fearing  that  his  junk- 
may  be  destroyed,  makes  a  paper  junk,  throws  it  over- 
board to  float  where  danger  lurks.  He  does  this  to  fool 
the  god  of  the  storm  into  spending  his  wrath  on  the 
paper  junk.  The  yellow  man  reasons  that  the  god  of 
the  storm  has  decided  to  destroy  a  certain  number  of 
boats,  and  if  he  can  fool  him  into  destroying  paper  ones 
he  will  thereby  save  his  real  junk. 

I  visited  the  world-renowned  Examination  Hall  which 
has  11,616  cells,  each  five  and  a  half  feet  long,  three  and 
two-thirds  feet  wide,  and  about  eight  feet  high.  Speak- 
ing of  this  institution,  an  ex-consul  general  of  the  United 
States  to  Hong-Kong  said :  "Next  to  Peking  this  is  the 
greatest  university  in  the  world.  More  students  meet 
within  its  courts  and  stone  cells  than  in  the  halls  and 
corridors  of  Harvard,  Yale,  Oxford,  and  all  the  big  uni- 
versities of  America  and  England  put  together." 

I  never  read  of  a  people  endowed  with  patience  equal 
to  the  Chinese.  To  be  as  patient  as  the  Chinese  means 
more  than  to  be  simply  as  patient  as  Job.  No  American 
will  continue  his  studies  and  contest  in  the  triennial  ex- 
aminations for  sixty  or  seventy  years  in  order  to  secvire 
his  bachelor  degree,  but  the  Chinese  do  this  under  circum- 


124  Around  the  World. 

stances  that  would  drive  a  less  patient  and  persistent 
people  crazy.  The  Cantonese  takes  a  piece  of  ivory, 
works  it  until  it  is  globular,  the  size  of  a  base  ball.  He 
next  drills  four  holes  through  it,  then  carves  it  with  sharp 
instruments  until  it  becomes  twelve  concentric  globes. 
Each  of  these  concentric  globes  is  beautifully  carved,  and 
as  they  are  turned  like  a  wheel  within  a  wheel,  they  ap- 
pear to  have  required  such  remarkable  patience,  skill,  and 
ingenuity  in  their  construction  that  I  am  forced  to  rank 
them  and  their  carvers  in  a  category  to  themselves.  This 
work  is  useless  except  to  show  what  can  be  done,  yet 
each  production  finds  ready  sale  at  $16  (Mex.),  forty- 
five  days  being  required  to  complete  each  ball.  Give  the 
Yankee  the  same  quality  of  genius,  and  he  will  whittle 
out  something  that  will  startle  the  world. 

I  visited  the  execution  ground,  where  more  men  have 
become  victims  to  the  executioner's  sword  than  were 
slain  in  all  the  wars  waged  by  Napoleon.  The 
ground  was  crimson  from  the  blood  of  a  batch  of 
victims  of  a  few  days  previous.  I  went  to  the 
prison,  where  hundreds  of  criminals  were  chained. 
Had  I  waited  I  could  have  seen  the  long-nosed,  brazen- 
faced executioner  slash  off  a  few  heads  with  his  ugly 
sword;  but  I  was  nervous  enough  from  exciting  scenes 
galore,  and  did  not  care  to  run  the  risk  of  withstanding 
additional  shocks.  One  of  the  instruments  used  in  ex- 
ecuting a  certain  class  of  criminals  is  called  the  "Ling 
Chi,"  and  slashes  its  victim  into  a  thousand  pieces. 

The  next  object  of  interest  visited  was  the  renowed 
water-clock,  built  in  1324  A.  D.  It  is  a  splendid  time- 
piece, so  constructed  that  a  drop  of  water  falls  every  sec- 
ond and  causes  a  slide  to  rise  through  an  opening,  indi- 
cating the  exact  time  from  one  to  twelve.  The  water  must 
be  transferred  from  the  lower  to  the  higher  receptacle  at 


China  Revisited. 


J25 


the  expiration  of  the  twelfth  hour.  It  indicated  twelve 
o'clock  when  it  was  one  minute  of  twelve  by  my  watch. 
Neither  was  much  in  error,  for  about  this  time  the  twelve 
o'clock  gun  thundered  across  the  city  from  its  position 
on  the  banks  of  the  Pearl. 

Canton  has  its  quota  of  temples.  At  the  Confucian 
temple  dwells  the  God  of  Medicine,  where  prescriptions 
are  sold  for  the  healing  of  the  people's  ills.  After  the 
data  regarding  the  institution  were  thoroughly  explained 
to  me  by  an  English-speaking  native  guide,  I  boldly  ap- 
proached the  keeper  of  the  Medicine  God,  offered  him  a 
Mexican  penny,  which  is  the  price  charged  for  each  pre- 
scription, received  my  prescription,  chosen  by  the  Con- 
fucian priest  by  lot,  and  handed  it  to  my  guide  for  trans- 
lation into  English.  After  reading  it.  the  guide  said,  "You 
headache  got ;  must  medicine  takee  in  alee  small  jar," 
pointing  to  it  at  the  same  time.  Since  I  never  have  the 
headache,  I  gave  the  jar  a  wide  berth,  preferring  to  let 
that  juggler  know  that  his  trickery  had  not  deceived  me. 

The  Chinese  are  fanatics  in  the  use  of  firecrackers, 
their  Fourth  of  July  lasting  through  the  year.  Fire- 
crackers are  a  part  of  every  program.  Funerals,  wed- 
dings, and  functions  of  every  description  are  incomplete 
without  that  particular  kind  of  noise.  When  he  goes 
to  the  temple  to  worship  his  god  of  brass  or  stone,  a 
bunch  of  firecrackers  accompanies  him,  and  the  last 
cracker  is  fired  inside  the  temple  doors.  When  a  whole 
bunch  is  touched  off  at  one  time,  a  wire  inclosure  is 
used  to  prevent  them  from  jumping  all  over  the  interior 
and  setting  fire  to  anything  of  a  combustible  nature.  In 
reply  to  my  question  as  to  why  firecrackers  were  used 
when  consulting  the  God  of  Medicine,  the  guide  replied, 
"So  sick  man  get  well."  In  the  temple  is  the  Enemy 
God,  where  every  one  worships  that  has  an  enemy.     A 


126  Around  the  World. 

representation  of  the  person  is  cut  out  of  paper  and  hung 
on  the  wall  by  the  man  whb  desires  to  get  rid  of  his 
enemy.  The  guide  said  it  was  done  "so  enemy  not  get 
well." 

At  the  Temple  of  Five  Hundred  Genii,  built  in  503 
A.  D.,  gods  of  every  description  were  on  exhibition  num- 
bering five  hundred,  as  the  name  indicates,  no  two  being 
alike.  Canton  has  a  Baby  Tower,  otherwise  it  would  be 
out  of  fashion. 

If  I  had  Carnegie's  millions,  I  would  cease  building 
costly  libraries,  which  react  against  the  poor  by  raising 
the  rent  on  adjacent  property  and  at  the  same  time 
provide  the  rich  with  books  almost  gratis.  I  would  pour 
out  that  money  for  the  rescue  of  China.  The  rich  can 
buy  their  own  books,  and,  besides,  nearly  every  city  that 
is  financially  able  to  comply  with  the  Carnegie  conditions 
in  order  to  get  a  slice  of  his  wealth,  already  has  a  public 
library  with  thousands  of  volumes,  which  the  working 
poor  never  have  time  or  strength  to  read.  The  cash  being 
given  away  by  Mr.  Carnegie  would,  if  wisely  used,  be- 
come the  entering  wedge  for  cleaving  asunder  the  chains 
forged  through  centuries  of  darkness  binding  the  Orient 
to  the  old  sunken  hulk  of  the  past.  With  that  money 
teachers  could  be  posted  all  over  the  empire,  whose  labors 
would  bring  forth  a  hundred-fold  greater  results,  for  the 
world's  civilization  than  alcoves  of  costly-bound  books, 
the  majority  of  which  will  never  be  read.  I  do  not  dis- 
count books  in  the  least,  but  I  do  not  believe  in  giving 
stones  when  the  demand  is  greater  for  the  real  bread 
of  life. 

An  item  of  unusual  interest  occupies  the  public  mind 
on  this  side  of  the  Pacific.  The  crew  of  the  battleship 
Glory,  the  flagship  of  the  British  Asiatic  squadron,  boasted 
that  it  possessed  the  banner  rowing-team  of  the  world, 


China  Revisited.  127 

having  won  every  race  with  the  navies  of  the  Mediter- 
ranean Sea,  the  Indian  and  Pacific  Oceans.  When  she 
came  plowing  into  Hong-Kong  Harbor,  her  officers  spied 
the  battleship  Kentucky,  the  American  flagship  of  the 
Asiatic  squadron,  commanded  by  "fighting  Bob"  Evans. 
Not  having  contested  with  American  muscle,  the  world's 
honors  were  in  the  balance  until  the  Stars  and  Stripes 
should  be  left  trailing  in  the  rear.  Consequently  a  chal- 
lenge was  immediately  dispatched  by  a  special  detail  to 
the  Kentucky  to  determine  whether  our  "Bob"  thought  it 
worth  while  to  contest  for  the  championship.  It  was  duly 
accepted  in  a  business-like  way,  without  any  boasting  or 
apparent  manifestation  that  success  was  even  expected ; 
whereupon  the  British  bragged  that  they  not  only  ex- 
pected to  win  easily,  but  also  had  big  money  to  stake  on 
the  race,  and  desired  to  know  whether  the  Americans 
wished  to  cover  it. 

After  a  short  consultation,  report  was  made  that  the 
Kentucky  was  ready  to  cover  $25,000.  This  fairly  as- 
tonished the  Britons,  who  were  unprepared  for  such  an 
immense  proposition.  A  smaller  amount  was  agreed 
upon,  and  the  time  for  the  contest  was  set.  The  boats 
were  to  have  four  men  each,  and  the  race  was  to  begin 
four  miles  out  from  Hong-Kong,  and  end  at  the  battle- 
ship Glory  in  the  Hong-Kong  Harbor,  where  all  the  city 
could  witness  the  American  defeat  and  the  British  tri- 
umph. Newspaper  reporters  were  present  to  chronicle 
the  event.  Everybody  was  present  that  could  get  leave 
of  absence.  The  race  began.  The  Americans  used  the 
long,  slow  stroke,  twenty-two  to  the  minute,  while  the 
British  quartet  employed  the  short,  rapid  stroke,  thirty- 
two  to  the  minute.  American  muscle  and  training  had 
not  been  in  vain,  for  before  the  harbor  was  reached  the 
most  splendid  flag  on  earth  was  far  in  the  lead,  and  the 


128  Around  the  World. 

faces  of  the  British  spectators  began  to  lengthen  like  the 
shadow  of  the  maple  as  the  sun  speeds  down  its  course 
towards  its  western  couch.  Soon  the  Kentucky  braves 
were  sufficiently  in  advance  to  safely  draw  in  their  oars, 
rise  in  their  places,  doff  their  caps,  and,  waving  them  at 
arm's  length,  give  three  shouts  for  the  land  of  the  free 
and  the  home  of  the  brave.  This  was  done  three  times 
before  the  goal  was  reached,  and  the  boys  did  not  stop 
there,  but  rowed  around  under  the  bow  of  the  British 
flagship,  turned  on  the  backward  course,  crossed  under 
the  stern,  and  again  passed  the  goal  ahead  of  the  boasted 
British  team,  who  had  been  victors  on  the  Mediterranean, 
the  Indian  and  Pacific  Oceans  heretofore,  but  now  were 
vanquished  completely  by  American  athletes,  such  as  are 
proud  to  offer  their  services  to  their  country  and  secure 
the  enviable  opportunity  of  riding  the  ocean  under  the 
waving  Stars  and  Stripes. 

Not  one  word  was  printed  in  the  English  newspapers 
of  Hong-Kong  regarding  this  all-absorbing  event,  while 
columns  were  devoted  to  insignificant  games  of  golf  and 
cricket,  which  were  witnessed  by  a  handful  of  people. 
The  defeat  was  so  overwhelming  that  the  typos  either  re- 
fused to  set  it  up  or  the  editors  were  ashamed  to  chron- 
icle their  loss  of  money  and  boasted  position.  I  was  in- 
formed that  the  Americans  won  more  than  $10,000  on 
the  event,  which  I  think  is  to  be  deplored.  Betting  is 
neither  more  nor  less  than  gambling,  and  is  stigmatized 
by  every  nation  of  importance  in  that  no  action  can  be 
brought  in  court  to  collect  a  wager. 

Invited  by  Chaplain  Hall,  I  visited  the  mammoth  bat- 
tle-ship of  the  British,  and  was  simply  amazed  as  I  was 
shown  her  man-killing  devices  and  equipment ;  such  as 
guns  thirty-four  feet  in  length,  mechanism  for  loading  and 
firing,  range-finding  appliances,  electric  and  hydraulic  ap- 


China  Revisited.  I2Q 

paratus,  twelve-inch  steel  armor,  powerful  searchlights, 
and  rigging  for  protection  against  torpedoes.  I  was  in- 
formed that  this  battle-ship  holds  the  championship  of 
the  British  navy  for  marksmanship,  the  target  having 
been  struck  nineteen  times  in  twenty-five  shots  with  the 
twelve-inch,  thirty-four  feet  guns  at  long  range.  Since 
our  superiority  in  certain  particulars  is  admitted,  I  assure 
you  that  there  will  be  something  "doing"  if  these  monsters 
of  the  British  and  American  navies  ever  lock  horns,  and  it 
is  hoped  that  they  will  never  have  occasion  to  test  each 
other  on  the  high  seas  in  real  earnest. 


IX. 
HONG-KONG  TO  CEYLON. 

INTERESTING    SKA    VOYAGE — FLYING    FISH — HUGE    SEABIRD 

CAPTURED SHARKS      ON      THE      EQUATOR — SINGAPORE 

AND  PENANG — CAPTIVATING  DURIAN  FRUIT — ELEPHANT 
HUNT — IN  THE  HEART  OF  CEYLON. 

Many  a  chapter  descriptive  of  Canton  might  be  writ- 
ten without  exhausting-  the  almost  limitless  character- 
istics of  that  metropolis  of  the  Chinese  empire.  However, 
I  shall  not  weary  you  with  additional  Chinese  data,  but 
shall  hasten  to  the  Southward  where  winter's  freezing 
blasts  have  never  penetrated.  Having  descended  the 
Pearl  River  from  Canton  to  Hong-Kong,  I  booked  for  the 
1440-mile  voyage  to  Singapore  by  the  steamship  Sado 
Maru  built  at  Belfast  and  registered  at  Tokio  at  six 
thousand  tons.  With  ideal  weather  and  consequently  a 
smooth  sea,  the  ship  steamed  out  into  deep  water  with 
her  bow  toward  the  equator.  Prior  to  my  trip  to  Manila 
I  had  entertained  many  doubts  as  to  the  existence  of  fly- 
ing fish  but  those  doubts  vanished  as  flying  fish  unnum- 
bered arose  from  those  tropical  waters  and  hastened  away 
in  their  aerial  flight.  I  am  told  they  often  fly  on  board 
ships  when  pursued  by  larger  fish,  though  I  have  seen  none 
arise  to  such  a  height,  nor  have  I  seen  any  of  them  cover 
many  rods  at  one  flight,  descent  into  the  water  being  made 
as  soon  as  their  fins  become  dry  through  contact  with  the 
air. 

130 


Hong-Kong  to  Ceylon.  131 

The  shark  is  the  scavenger  of  the  sea.  He  fears 
neither  man  nor  ship,  although  the  native  of  Malaysia 
often  proves  the  better  of  the  two  in  a  fight  to  the 
finish.  Many  a  native  makes  a  business  of  visiting  the 
ships  as  they  arrive  and  diving  after  pieces  of  shining 
money  cast  into  the  sea  by  passengers.  If  attacked  by 
a  shark,  the  diver  plunges  under  his  assailant  and  drives  a 
knife  into  a  vital  spot.  The  shark  must  turn  to  one  side 
before  he  can  snap  his  victim,  thereby  giving  the  diver  a 
chance.  The  bravery  manifested  by  these  divers  indicates 
that  not  all  the  world's  heroism  is  displayed  upon  historic 
battle-fields.  The  appearance  of  a  huge,  angry  shark 
alongside  the  ship  makes  the  cold  chills  creep  over  one 
who  is  not  used  to  seeing  such  sights. 

As  the  ship  is  almost  ready  to  dip  her  prow  under 
the  equator  in  rounding  the  peninsula  of  Malaysia,  or 
the  Straits  Settlements,  as  they  are  called  officially,  it  is 
not  unusual  to  hear  the  expression,  "I  did  not  imagine  it 
would  be  so  hot  here  in  the  winter  time."  People  forget 
that  the  temperature  is  the  same  the  year  around  on  the 
equator,  presenting  one  eternal  summer.  This  land  of 
changeless  climate  and  vegetation  reminds  one  of  the 
painful  sameness  referred  to  by  Tennyson  in  his  allusion 
to  the  land  of  the  lotus-eaters : 

"  We  came  unto  a  land  that  seemed  always  afternoon, 
A  land  where  all  things  always  seemed  the  same." 

In  presenting  the  direct  opposition  to  such  a  lazy 
clime  and  sleepy  people,  the  poet  strikes  fire  as  he  dis- 
plays the  points  of  excellence  observed  in  the  energetic 
and  unyielding  Ulysses,  who  resolved — 

"  To  follow  knowledge  like  a  sinking  star 
Beyond  the  utmost  bounds  of  human  thought, 
To  strive,  to  seek,  to  find,  and  not  to  yield." 


132  Around  the  World. 

Singapore  is  a  city  of  two  hundred  and  twenty-seven 
thousand  people,  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  of  whom 
are  Chinese,  the  remaining  seventy-seven  thousand  being 
Indians,  Cingalese,  English,  Bornese,  Japanese,  Javanese, 
and  Siamese.  The  Federated  States  of  Malaysia,  subjects 
of  Great  Britain,  produce  an  annual  revenue  of  $7,000,000. 
One  man  pays  the  government  $287,000  per  year  for  the 
privilege  of  selling  opium.  It  is  a  pity,  as  well  as  a  shame, 
that  a  great  nation  will  disgrace  her  name  by  fostering 
the  opium  trade,  one  of  the  curses  of  the  Orient. 

Every  visitor  to  Singapore  visits  the  botanical  gardens, 
located  two  miles  from  the  city.  Here  vegetation  holds 
high  carnival,  presenting  nearly  every  variety  of  botanical 
life  known  to  the  tropics.  My  home  for  nearly  three  days 
was  at  the  college  located  in  the  center  of  the  city.  Look- 
ing in  any  direction,  a  vast  forest  greeted  the  eye  as  if 
no  city  of  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  million  were  nearer  than 
a  thousand  miles.  Anywhere  and  everywhere  breadfruit, 
cocoanut,  banana,  and  stately  palm  trees  held  their  heads 
aloft,  each  vying  with  the  other  for  precedence  in  height 
and  beauty.  Flowering  plants  of  every  conceivable  color 
and  combination  of  colors  fill  the  air  with  fragrance  as 
they  display  themselves  in  one  perpetual  fairy-like  bower. 
Add  to  this  luxuriant  display  the  aromatic-laden  winds 
that  hie  hither  from  the  spice-fields  of  Java,  and  you  have 
a  diminutive  conception  of  this  paradise  of  perfumery. 

The  richness  of  the  land  may  be  guessed  when  I 
assert  that  some  of  the  jungle  near  Singapore  is  so  dense 
that  nearly  every  square  inch  of  ground  is  covered  with  a 
conglomerate  mass  of  trees  and  vines,  a  veritable  tangle. 
That  a  python  or  boa-constrictor  succeds  in  penetrating 
that  jungle  is  a  mystery,  not  considering  the  monkeys 
and  tigers  that  infest  it.  Within  fifteen  miles  of  the  city 
tigers  are  said  to  be  plentiful,  and  I  am  told  that  those 


Hong-Kong  to  Ceylon.  133 

wild  animals  have  been  killed  in  that  part  of  the  jungle 
which  I  visited.  Sometimes  they  swim  across  the  narrow 
strait  to  the  island  on  which  Singapore  is  located.  Only 
a  few  days  ago  a  royal  Bengal  tiger  was  killed  at  the 
Raffels  Hotel  in  Singapore  and  in  the  very  room  where  I 
dined  on  Thursday.  The  hotel  is  situated  on  the  bund 
facing  the  sea.  The  tiger  was  prowling  about  the  streets 
at  night,  and,  drawn  probably  by  the  scent  of  beef  as  well 
as  by  the  desire  to  stop  at  the  European  hostelry,  which 
is  better  than  any  native  inn,  marched  through  the  front 
court  into  the  dining-room,  which  is  always  open.  In 
the  tropics,  the  houses  consist  of  a  roof  and  four  upright 
corner  supports  with  the  sides  all  open  to  the  elements. 
The  roof  protrudes  to  prevent  the  entrance  of  rain  and  the 
sun's  scorching  rays.  Slats  for  the  sides  are  usually  pro- 
vided among  the  well-to-do  classes.  On  entering  the  hotel 
the  tiger  neither  registered  nor  consulted  the  manage- 
ment about  being  assigned  a  room,  but,  according  to 
tiger  custom,  deliberately  helped  himself  to  everything  in 
sight,  and  then  cautiously  hid  himself  behind  a  billiard- 
table.  The  remainder  of  the  night  was  evidently  spent 
without  incident ;  but  on  being  discovered  the  following 
morning,  he  was  granted  full  possession  of  the  dining- 
room.  His  title  to  possession  was  undisputed  until  an 
expert  marksman  and  tiger-hunter  was  secured,  whose 
second  shot  went  crashing  through  the  skull  between  the 
feline's  snapping  eyes.  When  all  possibility  of  danger 
was  past,  the  gathered  crowd  applied  the  tape-line  and 
learned  that  his  excellency  measured  eight  feet  and  six 
inches  from  tip  to  tip. 

My  friend,  Dr.  B.  F.  West,  a  college  professor  in 
Singapore,  visited  Borneo  recently,  and  tells  Bornese  tales 
that  almost  surpass  belief.  They  are  true.  I  assure  you, 
for  no  one  who  knows  him  can  doubt  his  veracity  in  the 


J34 


Around  the  World. 


least  items.  Some  things  which  I  know  to  be  true  I  re- 
frain from  presenting,  on  the  ground  that  they  might  pro- 
voke the  reader  to  question  their  credibility.  One  item 
incident  to  life  as  found  in  neighboring  Borneo  is,  that 
no  young  man  is  eligible  to  marry,  nor  will  any  young  lady 
consider  a  proposal  from  a  youth  who  has  not  taken  at 
least  one  scalp.  The  lady  must  first  visit  the  home 
of  the  young  man  and  see  the  scalp  hanging  over  his 
door,  and  have  good  evidence  to  believe  that  it  was  taken 
by  him,  and  not  faked  for  the  occasion  before  her  promise 
is  given.  It  may  be  news  to  some  to  learn  that  those 
head-hunting  Dyaks  of  Borneo  are  becoming  Christians, 
renouncing  their  barbarism  and  becoming  firm  supporters 
of  higher  civilization.  Where  heathenism  prevails,  Can- 
nibalism is  practiced,  and  the  one  who  would  aspire  to  be 
head  man  or  mayor  of  a  village  must  previously  have 
taken  at  least  one  hundred  scalps. 

Snake  lore  and  stories  of  wild  adventure  are  epidemic. 
not  only  in  Borneo,  but  also  here  in  Singapore.  Scarcely 
a  trip  can  be  made  anywhere  hereabouts  without  having 
the  nerves  severely  tried.  While  three  of  us  were  visiting 
the  zoological  and  botanical  gardens  a  serpent  fell  from  a 
tree  and  struck  a  man  on  the  shoulder.  All  escaped  with- 
out any  loss  of  life,  each  person,  however,  being  willing 
to  surrender  the  field  unconditionally. 

The  sultan  of  Johore  lives  fourteen  miles  north  of 
Singapore  and  is  credited  with  almost  incredible  deeds  of 
daring.  Xo  one  is  permitted  to  hunt  tigers  on  his  reser- 
vations without  his  permission.  It  is  said  in  praise  of  him 
that  he  invariably  waits  until  the  tiger  springs  at  him, 
and  then  shoots  it  "on  the  wing."  Having  slain  many 
in  this  way  he  is  regarded  as  the  champion  dead-shot  of 
the  Far  East,  if  not  of  the  entire  world.     The  reckless 


Hong-Kong  to  Ceylon.  nc 

daring   exhibited    by    him   has   no   parallel   even   among 
Youth's  Companion  stories. 

A  fruit  flourishes  here  called  the  durian,  or  technically 
the  durio  zebithinus,  whose  odor  is  as  repulsive  as  its 
flavor  is  appetizing.  Were  this  country  deprived  of  its 
fragrant  flora,  the  durian  fruit  would  cause  the  people  to 
long  for  the  opportunity  to  live  near  a  bone  yard  or  a 
soap  factory,  where  the  stench  might  be  more  easily  en- 
dured. That  such  a  malodorous  fruit  should  be  so  pleas- 
ant to  the  taste  is  a  standing  enigma. 

After  three  days  at  Singapore,  we  passed  through  the 
Straits  of  Malacca,  and  anchored  at  Penang,  three  hun- 
dred and  ninety-five  miles  to  the  Northward.  In  this  city 
— population  nearly  two  hundred  thousand — I  found  only 
ten  Americans,  chiefly  teachers  and  missionaries.  Here 
two  days  were  profitably  spent.  Immediately  upon  land- 
ing, I  secured  an  Asiatic  who  knew  only  about  two  words 
of  English,  which  were  "yes"  and  "no."  Of  the  many 
who  gabbled  at  me  in  a  foreign  tongue,  only  one  could 
say  a  word  that  was  any  relation  to  English.  Desiring 
to  mail  a  letter  to  the  one  who  rescued  me  from  the 
possibility  of  bachelordom,  I  questioned  the  entire  line 
to  learn  whether  any  one  could  take  me  to  the  post-office. 
The  one  I  chose  kept  saying  "Yes,  yes,"  to  my  question ; 
therefore  I  leaped  into  his  jinriksha,  and  away  he  sped 
through  the  city.  We  went  far  out  until  the  city  was  left 
in  the  rear.  I  was  confident  that  the  post-office  was  not 
our  goal,  but  let  him  go  wherever  it  pleased  him,  as  I 
wanted  to  see  the  country.  After  the  street  had  changed 
into  a  road,  and  the  road  had  changed  into  a  path,  and 
the  path  was  about  to  be  transformed  into  a  squirrel- 
track  and  run  up  a  tree,  I  halted  my  man.  The  towering 
trees  formed  a  jungle  above  my  head,  and  on  every  side 


136  Around  the  World. 

excellent  hiding-places  for  wild  beasts  greted  the  eye  as  I 
surveyed  the  scene,  expecting  almost  any  moment  to 
see  a  screaming  varmint  plunge  out  from  almost  any- 
where. I  met  a  Malay  with  a  brown  bear  fastened  with 
a  chain.  He  had  captured  it  when  it  was  a  cub,  and 
managed  to  inform  me  that  he  now  wanted  twenty  dollars 
in  silver  for  it.  which  is  less  than  eight  dollars  gold. 
Learning  that  my  jinriksha  man  could  not  manage  Eng- 
lish, I  pointed  down  the  backward  track,  whereupon  we 
returned  to  the  city.  Noticing  a  large  sign  bearing  the 
inscription,  "American  goods  for  sale  here,"  I  entered  and 
found  an  American  lady  in  charge  of  the  store,  who  in- 
formed me  that  I  was  one  mile  from  the  post-office, 
and  that  I  had  been  out  in  the  country  where  some  of  the 
tales  of  wildest  adventure  have  their  setting.  Pythons, 
boa-constrictors,  and  tigers  there  keep  each  other  com- 
pany, but  are  most  numerous  three  miles  away  to  the  east- 
ward, I  was  told.  After  a  pleasant  visit  at  this  sociai 
place,  I  visited  the  Anglo-Chinese  school.  I  mailed  that 
letter,  however,  on  finding  the  post-office  less  than  half 
a  block  from  the  landing  place.  My  jinriksha  man  had 
doubtless  taken  me  to  be  an  adventurer  desiring  to  get 
acquainted  with  the  wilds  of  jungle  life,  and  therefore 
made  a  bee-line  for  the  hunter's  paradise. 

Here  and  at  Singapore  shipping  is  abundant.  Among 
the  exports  are  pepper,  india-rubber,  sugar,  rice,  sago, 
tapioca,  spices,  dyestuff,  coffee,  tea,  tobacco,  and  tin. 

In  every  city  from  Yokohama  to  Penang,  the  Chinese 
are  the  proprietors,  with  multiplied  millions  of  capital, 
and  live  in  palatial  residences.  The  Hong-Kong  and 
Shanghai  Bank  with  branches  in  nearly  every  Oriental 
city  of  the  Far  East,  is  owned  and  operated  principally 
by  the  Chinese,  and  it  is  reputed  to  be  second  in  rank  to 


Hong-Kong  to  Ceylon.  137 

the  Bank  of  England  among  the  world's  financial  insti- 
tutions. 

After  seeing  so  much  of  the  Chinese  at  their  best,  as 
well  as  the  Chinese  at  their  worst,  I  recognize  the  ground 
upon  which  my  Shanghai  informant  hased  his  opinion, 
which  I  questioned,  when  he  asserted  that  the  best  of  the 
Chinese  were  at  par  with  the  best  of  any  other  nation, 
and  that  the  lowest  of  the  Chinese  are  no  lower  than  the 
lowest  of  the  low  to  be  found  elsewhere  among  the  world's 
multitudes.  While  I  do  not  thus  rank  the  Chinese,  I  am 
willing  to  record  my  conviction  that  no  more  commend- 
able or  praiseworthy  undertaking  was  ever  launched  than 
when  the  missionary  societies  undertook  the  evangelizing 
and  Christianizing  of  China,  Japan,  and  Borneo.  I  had 
studiously  read  volume  after  volume  on  missions ;  but 
when  my  eyes  beheld  the  tremendous  work  accomplished, 
I  was  actually  ashamed  of  myself  that  I  had  ever  enter- 
tained a  doubt  as  to  the  utility  and  necessity  of  the  work 
and  the  unspeakable  transformations  so  signally  wrought 
by  the  Power  Divine  and  I  am  forced  to  confess  in  the 
words  of  the  queen  of  Sheba  on  visiting  Jerusalem.  "The 
one-half  was  not  told  me."  I  have  stocked  myself  with 
facts  observed  upon  the  battlefields  of  missions,  armed 
with  which  I  am  ready  to  cross  the  Rubicon  on  the  mis- 
sionary proposition  without  fearing  either  man  or  devil. 
"Go  ye  into  all  the  world  and  preach  the  gospel  to  every 
creature,"  is  an  unalterable  dictum,  and  I  am  glad  that  the 
Churches  and  the  nations  of  earth  are  obedient  to  that 
command. 

I  was  shown  a  tract  of  land  in  the  heart  of  Singapore 
worth  $25,000,  which  the  government  offered  to  present 
to  the  Mission  Board  if  the  latter  would  agree  to  erect  a 
building  thereon  to  be  used  in  Christian  work.     Recog- 


138  Around  the  World. 

nizing  the  importance  of  the  Christian  work  now  being 
done  in  Singapore,  the  government  pays  $3,000  per  year 
to  assist  in  maintaining  that  work,  as  the  help  that  comes 
from  America  is  not  sufficient.  I,  at  first,  thought  it 
strange  that  a  government  subject  to  Great  Britain  should 
be  paying  cash  to  an  American  board,  but  it  is  all  plain 
when  I  remember  that  religion  is  not  circumscribed  or 
measured  by  national  boundary  lines.  Right  is  right  the 
world  round ;  right  is  always  right,  and  wrong  is  always 
wrong;  right  is  never  wrong,  and  wrong  is  never  right, 
regardless  of  whether  it  is  hot  or  cold,  clear  or  cloudy, 
either  on  this  or  on  that  side  of  the  globe. 

My  next  venture  will  be  upon  the  Indian  Ocean  to 
Ceylon,  a  distance  of  nearly  one  thousand  three  hundred 
miles.  As  the  smoke  rolls  from  yonder  huge  black  funnel, 
I  am  reminded  that  preparation  is  being  made  for  another 
battle  with  the  waves.  Coal  has  been  stored  till  the  bun- 
kers are  full.  The  iron  giants  in  the  vessel's  hold  have 
been  carefully  groomed.  Provisions  have  been  stacked 
to  the  ceilings  of  the  storerooms,  and  all  is  ready  for  the 
sea. 

"  The  sea,  the  sea,  the  gray  old  sea, 

What  a  merry  and  brave  old  heart  has  he ! 

A  fellow  of  infinite  jest  and  whim, 

And  nothing  can  come  amiss  to  him. 

If  the  winds  are  hushed  he  cares  not;  he 
Can  sleep  till  they  wake— whensoever  that  be — 
With  his  head  on  the  grand  piled  clouds  of  dawn, 
And  his  feet  where  the  evening  veils  are  drawn." 


*S 


After  a  voyage  of  thirty  hours  from  Malaysia  the  ship 
rounded  the  northern  point  of  Sumatra,  and  entered  the 
Indian  Ocean.  A  few  lonely  islands  to  our  right  wan- 
dered eastward  as  we  sped  westward.  The  second  night 
out  a  ship  was  sighted  south  of  us.     The  hull  and  lower 


Hong-Kong  to  Ceylon.  139 

half  of  her  mast  were  invisible,  her  strong  lights  perched 
upon  her  highest  masts  alone  being  visible,  and  they  ap- 
peared just  above  the  water  level.  They  frequently  dis- 
appeared from  view  entirely  as  large  waves  arose  between 
us  and  them.  He  who  does  not  believe  that  this  earth  is 
globular  will  suffer  a  change  of  faith  if  he  keeps  his  eyes 
open  on  a  sea  voyage. 

One  night  about  ten  o'clock,  as  I  was  sitting  alone  upon 
the  promenade  deck,  hearing  only  the  moaning  waters 
and  the  steady  pulse-beat  of  the  machinery,  my  mind  was 
twelve  thousand  miles  ahead  of  the  ship  on  a  visit  among 
friends  and  loved  ones,  when  suddenly  there  dropped 
upon  the  deck  before  my  eyes  a  huge  sea-bird  of  the  tire- 
less wing.  Dazed  by  electric  lights,  it  plunged  against 
the  steel  cabin,  making  assault  after  assault  as  if  endeav- 
oring to  smash  what  the  powerful  waves  had  not  been  able 
to  overcome.  Regardless  of  its  size,  I  at  once  put  into 
practice  my  football  tactics  and  made  a  flying  tackle, 
planting  my  right  hand  around  its  serpentine  neck  and  the 
left  hand  upon  its  back,  which  pinned  it  to  the  floor.  In 
an  instant  its  sharp  bill  was  testing  the  quality  of  my 
index  finger  while  its  extensive  wings  were  surpassing  all 
the  electric  fans  aboard  the  ship  in  circulating  the  other- 
wise quiet  air.  Soon  help  came,  and  the  visitor  was  made 
a  prisoner  and  unable  to  move  while  the  crowd  inspected. 
No  one  had  seen  such  a  zoological  specimen  before ;  not 
even  the  captain  and  crew,  nor  the  officers  of  another 
vessel  who  were  aboard,  deadheading  their  way  back  to 
London  from  Yokohama,  having  sold  their  ship  to  the 
Japanese.  It  was  probably  four  feet  across  the  wings, 
was  white-breasted,  and  had  webbed  feet.  As  hero  of 
the  occasion  it  was  my  bird,  and  when  I  decided  to  give 
it  its  liberty,  and  not  kill  it,  every  one  was  agreed.     Sea- 


140  Around  the  World. 

men  as  a  rule  are  superstitious.  The  poet  Coleridge,  in 
his  masterpiece,  "The  Ancient  Mariner,"  relates  the 
story  of  the  woe  visited  upon  a  ship  and  its  passengers 
because  a  visiting  albatross  was  shot  with  a  crossbow. 
I  quote  the  following  selections : 

"  At  length  did  cross  an  albatross ; 
Through  the  fog  it  came ; 
As  if  it  had  a  been  Christian  soul, 
We  hailed  it  in  God's  name. 

And  a  good  south  wind  sprung  up  behind ; 

The  albatross  did  follow, 
And  every  day,  for  food  or  play, 

Came  to  the  mariners'  hollo ! 

In  mist  or  cloud,  on  mast  or  shroud, 

It  perched  for  vespers  nine  ; 
While  all  the  night,  through  fog  smoke  white, 

Glimmered  the  white  moonshine. 

'  God  save  thee,  ancient  mariner ! 

From  the  fiends  that  plague  thee  thus ! 
Why  look'st  thou  so  ?' — '  With  1113-  cross-bow 

I  shot  the  albatross.' 

The  sun  now  rose  upon  the  right ; 

Out  of  the  sea  came  he, 
Still  hid  in  mist,  and  on  the  left 

Went  down  into  the  sea. 

And  the  good  south  wind  still  blew  behind. 

But  no  sweet  bird  did  follow, 
Nor  any  day  for  food  or  play 

Came  to  the  mariners'  hollo ! 

And  I  had  done  a  hellish  thing. 

And  it  would  work  'em  woe ; 
For  all  averred,  I  had  killed  the  bird 

That  made  the  breeze  to  blow. 
'Ah,  wretch  !'  said  they,  '  the  bird  to  slay 

That  made  the  breeze  to  blow !' 


Hong-Kong  to  Ceylon.  141 

The  fair  breeze  blew,  the  white  foam  flew, 

The  furrow  followed  free ; 
We  were  the  first  that  ever  burst 

Into  that  silent  sea. 

Down  dropt  the  breeze,  the  sails  dropt  down. 

'T  was  sad  as  sad  could  be ; 
And  we  did  speak  only  to  break 

The  silence  of  the  sea. 

All  in  a  hot  and  copper  sky, 

The  bloody  sun  at  noon, 
Right  up  above  the  mast  did  stand, 

No  bigger  than  the  moon. 

Water,  water,  everywhere, 

And  all  the  boards  did  shrink  ; 
Water,  water,  everywhere, 

Nor  any  drop  to  drink. 

The  very  deep  did  rot ;  O  Christ ! 

That  ever  thus  should  be  ! 
Yea,  slimy  things  did  crawl  with  legs 

Upon  the  slimy  sea." 

Thus  it  is  seen  that  hypersensitive  minds  have  no 
business  upon  the  sea. 

Scarcely  a  day  passes  without  its  events  of  interest. 
About  the  middle  of  the  voyage  I  was  surprised  to  see 
a  school  of  whales  enjoying  themselves  at  their  play  as 
if  perfectly  happy  and  contented  so  far  from  humanity's 
reach.  Nearly  all  animals  on  land  have  been  harnessed 
to  do  the  work  and  bidding  of  man,  but  not  so  the  huge 
animals  of  the  sea.  The  nations  continue  to  wait  for 
some  genius  to  come  forth  to  tame  a  pair  of  whales,  har- 
ness them  with  powerful  tugs,  hitch  them  to  an  ocean 
liner,  and,  like  a  victorious  Ben  Hur,  drive  them  at  full 
speed  with  cracking  whip.     Is  it  not  in  the  realm  of  the 


142 


Around  the  World. 


possible  that  the  poet  will,  some  day,  be  forced  to  revise 
the  following  lines  in  order  to  be  up-to-date? 

"  I  've  crossed  the  line  full  fifteen  times; 
And  down  in  the  southern  sea 
I  've  seen  the  whales,  like  bounding  lambs, 
Leap  up — the  strong,  the  free, — 

Leap  up,  the  creatures  that  God  hath  made 

To  people  the  isless  main ; 
They  have  no  bridle  in  their  jaws, 

And  on  their  necks  no  rein." 

When  one  has  been  buffeted  by  the  waves  for  a  week, 
the  sight  of  land  is  of  even  greater  interest  than  the 
appearance  of  whales,  sharks,  flying-fish,  and  everything 
else  of  interest  in  the  deep. 

Ceylon  was  in  sight  a  half-day  before  we  reached  Co- 
lombo, as  we  coasted  around  on  the  south,  then  up  the 
west  side  to  the  city.  Here  we  anchored  alongside  battle- 
ships and  large  ocean  craft,  this  harbor  being  a  junction 
point  between  Europe  and  Asia  and  Australia  for  all  the 
large  British,  French,  German,  and  Japanese  ships. 

The  island  of  Ceylon  lies  between  five  degress  and 
nine  degrees  north  of  the  equator,  its  greatest  length 
being  267  miles,  and  its  breadth  140  miles,  having  an 
area  of  24,700  square  miles.  Its  highest  point  is  8,000  feet 
above  the  sea-level.  Ceylonese  history  may  be  traced  back 
to  543  B.  C,  prior  to  which  tradition  is  alone  available. 
Recorded  history  shows  one  hundred  and  sixty  kings 
occupied  the  throne  prior  to  the  coming  of  the  Portuguese 
in  1505.  In  1552  a  shipload  of  Europeans  anchored  near 
Colombo,  and  a  report  was  quickly  carried  to  the  king 
on  the  throne  at  Kandy,  the  capital,  that  "ships  had  ar- 
rived containing  a  race  of  men  surpassingly  white  and 
beautiful,  wearing  boots  and  hats  of  iron,  eating  a  white 
stone  and  drinking  blood,  and  having  guns  which  could 


Hong-Kong  to  Ceylon.  143 

break  a  castle  of  marble."  Sucb  a  report  was  enough  to 
scare  even  a  weaker  race  of  people. 

The  Portuguese  were  victors  until  1658,  when  the 
Dutch  came  into  complete  control.  They  were  ousted  in 
1796  by  the  British,  who  swept  the  island,  drove  the  reign- 
ing sovereign  from  his  throne  at  Kandy,  sent  him  as  pris- 
oner of  war  to  Madras,  where  he  died,  and  George  III 
was  proclaimed  sovereign  of  the  island  on  March  2,  1815. 
The  islanders  are  now  very  peaceable  and  are  under  a 
governor  appointed  by  the  crown  of  England,  who  re- 
ceives a  salary  of  80,000  rupees,  almost  $27,000  gold, 
having  residences  provided  at  Colombo,  Kandy,  and  Nu- 
wara  Eliya.  A  commission,  acting  with  the  governor, 
makes  the  laws  and  exercises  general  control.  A  civil  serv- 
ice of  seventy  appointments  is  maintained,  admission  be- 
ing obtained  in  England  only,  with  salaries  ranging  from 
$1,000  to  $8,000  gold  each  per  annum.  The  population  of 
Ceylon  is  three  and  a  half  million,  Colombo  being  listed 
at  one  hundred  twenty  thousand.  Only  one-third  of  the 
island  is  under  cultivation — 700,000  acres  in  rice;  150,000 
under  other  small  grains ;  450,000  under  cocoanuts ;  other 
palms  130,000;  100,000  under  coffee;  35,000  under  cin- 
chona ;  35,000  under  cinnamon ;  more  than  a  million  acres 
are  under  fruit,  vegetable,  and  garden  produce. 

If  Ceylon  is  noted  for  one  thing  more  than  for  another, 
it  is  for  its  elephants,  which  are  exported  to  India,  Europe, 
and  America.  I  was  disappointed  on  my  arrival  to  learn 
that  there  were  no  elephants  in  Colombo.  Having  read 
Ceylonese  elephant  stories  since  my  early  boyhood,  I  had 
learned  to  regard  Ceylon  as  the  spot  of  all  the  earth 
that  would  be  fascinating  to  me,  and  I  can  now  assert 
that  I  shall  look  back  to  no  other  land  with  greater  delight. 
Here  I  have  had  a  taste  of  the  wild,  even  romantic.  Being 
assured  that  no  elephants  were  to  be  found  without  mak- 


144  Around  the  World. 

ing  a  trip  to  the  interior,  I  planned  a  campaign,  not  simply 
to  see  an  elephant — because  I  had  seen  nearly  all  that  had 
been  brought  to  America  during  the  past  fifteen  years — 
but  I  had  my  head  set  upon  seeing  them  in  their  native 
haunts.  Therefore  I  set  out  upon  a  trip  of  one  hundred 
and  fifty  miles.  Before  I  reached  Kandy — a  city  of 
twenty-two  thousand  people,  mostly  Cingalese,  situated 
at  an  elevation  of  about  one  thousand  seven  hundred  feet 
above  sea-level  in  the  mountains — I  saw  one  elephant  as 
he  was  being  ridden  to  market ;  but  that  was  too  tame  to 
suit  my  longing  for  the  sight  of  the  giants  who  go  crash- 
ing through  jungle  and  forest,  masters  of  the  wild  wood- 
land. 

At  Kandy  I  was  informed  that  the  objects  of  m\ 
search  were  far  beyond  the  city.  Having  secured  two 
natives,  who  knew  the  country  and  could  talk  some  Eng- 
lish, I  engaged  them  to  accompany  me.  They  said  they 
might  be  able  to  show  me  fifty  elephants,  and  there  might 
be  only  a  few  in  that  part  of  the  frontier  into  which  they 
proposed  to  lead  me.  Out  we  went.  Everywhere  palm- 
trees  of  many  kinds  lifted  their  lofty  heads.  Tropical 
fruits  and  spices  of  various  kinds  filled  the  air  with  aro- 
matic fragrance.  Cinnamon,  pepper,  clove,  nutmeg,  gum, 
iron,  the  deadly  upas,  candle,  and  camphor  trees  clustered 
with  date,  durian,  cocoanut,  breadfruit,  jackfruit,  and 
banana  trees.  Vines,  like  great  serpents,  crawled  along 
the  ground,  and  then  stretched  from  tree  to  tree  as  if 
desiring  to  drag  them  to  the  earth.  Flowers  of  every 
hue,  color  and  perfume  beautified  the  pathway,  thereby 
drowning  the  thoughts  of  meeting  the  deadly  cobra  or 
boa-constrictor  as  we  pursued  our  course.  In  such  a 
flower-bed  one  is  entranced,  and  wishes  that  such  sur- 
roundings might  endure  forever. 

But  it  was  not  to  last.    I,  becoming  slightly  suspicious, 


Hong-Kong  to  Ceylon.  14c 

inquired,  "Are  there  any  poisonous  snakes  through  here?" 
In  a  twinkling  of  an  eye  came  the  reply,  "Yes,  big  cobra  a 
plenty."  This  sudden  information  reduced  my  temper- 
ature as  the  cool  chills  crept  over  me,  anticipatory  to  a 
surprise.  This  was  not  a  condition  jonducive  to  the  re- 
calling of  poetry,  unless  it  should  be  the  following  from 
a  masterpiece : 

"  One  impulse  from  the  vernal  wood 

May  teach  you  more  of  man, 
Of  moral  evil  and  of  good, 

Than  all  the  sages  can." 

The  impulse  I  had  from  that  vernal  wood  was  re- 
actionary. Surrounded  by  all  the  luxuriance  of  tropical 
beauty,  one  does  not  forget  self  when  the  least  inkling  of 
danger  threatens.  The  rustling  of  the  leaves  makes  one 
halt  by  the  involuntary  process  long  before  the  thinker 
has  time  to  act.  A  disturbance  was  caused  by  what  I 
considered  to  be  a  squirrel.  Finding  a  piece  of  wood 
resembling  a  bench,  I  sat  upon  it  to  rest.  I  had  not  been 
there  long  before  something  happened  not  on  the  program. 

Right  in  front  of  me  a  deadly  cobra  took  his  position. 
With  uplifted  head,  hissing  mouth,  and  flashing  eyes, 
he  swayed  back  and  forth  as  if  angry,  like  a  giant  who 
would  whip  everything  in  sight.  With  unspeakable  swift- 
ness I  drew  my  feet  up  to  keep  them  from  becoming  the 
victims  of  a  possible  thrust  from  his  swelling  and  sweep- 
ing head.  At  every  raising  of  his  unsightly  head  his 
neck  grew  larger  until  it  was  as  large  as  a  pie  plate  and 
as  flat  as  a  pancake  "like  your  mother  used  to  make." 
Perched  where  I  was,  I  had  ample  time  to  study  him,  and 
never  did  I  think  of  getting  down  to  argue  the  question 
with  him  on  the  ground  of  previous  possession.  He  had 
the  ground  and  I  was  perfectly  willing  to  give  him  all  the 
ground  he  needed  as  I  sat  on  my  perch  with  the  master  of 
10 


146  Around  the  World. 

ceremonies  before  me  and  America  ten  thousand  miles 
away.  You  may  laugh,  but  you  would  not  have  laughed 
if  you  had  been  here;  neither  would  you  have  said  your 
prayers.,  for  under  such  circumstances  you  would  have  been 
in  a  condition  similar  to  that  of  the  woman  with  whom 
a  little  girl  once  staid  all  night.  On  retiring,  the  little  tot 
undertook  to  say  its  prayer,  and  being  accustomed  to 
being  prompted  by  its  mamma,  a  halt  was  made  when 
memory  failed.  As  the  lady  could  not  help  it  out  of  its 
difficulty,  it  almost  instinctively  closed  by  saying,  "Please, 
Dod,  fordive  me  'cause  I 's  fordot,  and  this  lady  what  I 's 
staying  with  do  n't  know  any  prayers." 

My  readers  will  be  more  surprised  than  ever  when 
I  assert  that  the  man  who  was  talking  to  me  when  the 
cobra  appeared,  captured  him  by  getting  his  head  into  a 
basket.  His  head  once  in  the  basket,  the  cobra  crawled  in 
of  his  own  accord.  Knowing  how  to  do  things  is  worth 
all  the  theory  in  the  world.  When  I  saw  this  Cingalese 
last,  he  asked  twenty  dollars  for  the  cobra,  and  it  is  quite 
likely  that  he  will  get  that  sum,  as  the  purchasing  agents 
of  zoological  gardens  and  shows  are  always  scouring 
Ceylon  for  specimens,  and  may  be  glad  to  secure  such  a 
valuable  curiosity.  I  think  I  would  recognize  the  fellow 
if  I  should  meet  him  on  the  Midway  at  the  World's  Fair 
in  1904.  I  hope,  however,  that  I  will  never  meet  him 
again,  as  he  is  no  friend  of  mine. 

I  was  with  this  man  and  his  prize  no  farther,  but 
went  over  to  the  river  in  company  with  an  Englishman 
who  has  been  surveying  in  Ceylon  for  several  years.  We 
had  not  gone  far  when  he  said,  "See  there!  elephants  in 
the  river !"  I  was  all  eyes,  for  I  had  endured  much  for  the 
purpose  of  seeing  such  a  spectacle,  and  was  despairing 
lest  my  efforts  should  be  doomed  to  final  failure.  But 
now  volumes  flashed  anew  through  the  corridors  of  mem- 


Hong-Kong  to  Ceylon.  147 

ory  as  my  eyes  feasted  on  the  sight  of  a  lifetime.  Not 
three  hundred  yards  away  were  the  giants,  standing  in 
three  feet  of  water,  playing  in  their  daily  bath.  To  state 
that  they  were  enjoying  it  is  to  put  it  mildly.  In  ques- 
tioning my  surveyor  friend  as  to  whether  they  were  dan- 
gerous, he  replied :  "They  will  not  molest  a  person  unless 
you  chance  to  meet  a  rogue  elephant.  A  rogue  elephant 
is  one  that  is  mad."  Among  other  items  of  elephant  lore, 
I  was  told  that  at  the  last  coral,  or  "krall,"  eighty-six 
elephants  were  secured,  and  were  sold  at  from  200  to 
5,000  rupees,  according  to  size  and  training.  The  most 
popular  place  for  the  hunters  desiring  to  shoot  such  big 
game  is  in  Hambantota  District  of  the  Southern  province. 

Elk-hunting  is  regarded  as  quite  tempting  in  the 
vicinity  of  Nuwara,  while  wild  buffalo,  bear,  and  leopards 
are  found  farther  north.  Crocodiles  are  numerous,  along 
with  no  less  than  thirty  species  of  serpents.  My  friend 
said,  "Snakes  are  plentiful,  but  we  do  not  hear  of  Euro- 
peans being  killed  by  them  very  often."  Not  having  the 
feline  possession  of  nine  lives  I  decided  that  my  security 
was  assured  if  I  could  only  avoid  being  killed  once. 

Elephants  are  used  here  for  all  kinds  of  heavy  work. 
Trees  are  felled,  and  the  lower  end  is  securely  fastened 
to  the  giants  back.  In  this  way  he  drags  his  burden 
wherever  desired  by  the  owner  or  operator  of  the  big 
trust.  If  the  tree  is  not  too  large,  it  is  managed  by  his 
powerful  trunk  without  resorting  to  chains.  The  giant 
is  trained  to  wrap  his  trunk  about  a  huge  rock  at  the 
quarry  and  act  as  a  ponderous  dray.  If  the  rock  is  too 
large  for  his  serpentine  trunk,  the  load  is  encased  by 
means  of  a  harness  of  chain  so  arranged  that  it  can  be 
easily  grasped  and  carried. 

If  I  had  been  asked  about  a  week  ago  in  what  city  of 
the  Orient  I  would  prefer  to  make  my  home  if  left  to 


148  Around  the  World. 

a  choice,  I  would  have  selected  Yokohama,  Shanghai,  or 
Manila ;  but  now  my  choice  would  fall  to  Kandy,  seventy- 
six  miles  inland  from  Colombo.  Nuwara  is  much  higher 
than  Kandy,  frosts  being  frequent  visitors  there,  while 
Kandy  is  much  cooler  than  Colombo.  With  a  home 
anywhere  along  the  lake  at  Kandy,  surrounded  with 
scenery  that  entrances,  one  could  bid  defiance  to  cares 
as  he  enjoyed  life  in  that  beautiful  vale  nearly  two  thou- 
sand feet  above  sea-level.  With  a  population  of  twenty- 
two  thousand,  it  nestles  among  the  foothills  of  a  veri- 
table Eden.  In  fact  the  Garden  of  Eden  has  been  located 
there  by  some  visionary  enthusiast.  The  scenery  from 
Colombo  to  Kandy  is  pronounced  the  finest  in  the  world. 
Celebrated  botanists  from  every  quarter  of  the  globe 
come  to  this  bower  of  beauty  to  study  their  favorite  de- 
partment of  science.  The  Paradenia  botanical  gardens 
contain  the  finest  specimens  of  tropical  plants  and  trees 
known  to  exist.  Those  approaching  them  the  nearest  are 
in  Java. 

The  Dalada  temple  was  built  for  the  express  purpose 
of  holding  Buddha's  tooth,  and  is  better  known  as  the 
Temple  of  the  Tooth.  On  visiting  this  ancient  temple 
I  was  permitted  to  step  behind  the  veil  and  grasp  the 
handles  by  which  the  heavy  iron  doors  are  swung  open 
leading  to  the  tooth.  The  doors  were  locked,  however. 
Upon  the  wall  ar2  frescoes  illustrating  the  punishment 
to  be  visited  upon  those  committing  the  various  kinds  of 
sins  according  to  the  teachings  of  Buddha.  Speaking  of 
this  temple  and  its  association,  the  historian  writes :  "Pro- 
ceeding southward  for  a  short  distance  down  the  Sacred 
Road,  the  track  along  which  the  pilgrims  come,  and  have 
come  for  two  thousand  years,  to  offer  their  devotions  to 
the  most  venerated  symbols  of  their  religion,  the  visitor 
reaches  the  inclosure  which  surrounds  the  celebrated  Bo- 


Hong-Kong  to  Ceylon.  149 

tree.  This  tree  (Fie us  religioso)  is  the  oldest  historical 
tree  in  the  world.  It  was  planted  two  hundred  and  forty- 
five  years  before  Christ,  and  is  therefore  now  two  thou- 
sand one  hundred  and  thirty  years  old." 

Kandy  contains  many  specimens  excavated  from  the 
ruins  of  the  buried  cities  of  Ceylon.  Beyond  Kandy  there 
are  ruins  of  cities  that  rose,  flourished,  and  fell  uncounted 
years  before  written  Ceylonese  history  began.  Hundreds 
of  years  before  Christ,  China  had  diplomatic  relations 
with  the  Cingalese.  The  ancient  cities  of  Anurhapura, 
Polonaruwa,  Dambula,  Kalavewa,  Mihintale,  and  Sigiri 
have  been  victims  of  awful  judgments.  Destruction  has 
been  completed  and  ages  have  swept  by  until  towering 
temples,  once  piercing  the  azure  sky  at  an  altitude  of 
four  hundred  feet  above  the  foundations,  are  covered  with 
the  dust  and  the  accumulation  sent  by  an  avenging  de- 
stroyer. 

Is  it  not  possible  that  those  people  and  cities  have  had 
a  revelation  which  they  refused  to  obey,  and  have  suffered 
as  did  the  cities  of  the  plains  that  disobeyed  the  warnings 
of  their  God  ?  Speaking  of  the  ruins  of  the  buried  cities 
of  Ceylon,  one  author  has  said  that  New  York  and  Paris 
are  pigmies  in  comparison  with  these  centers  of  ancient 
civilization. 


X. 

COLOMBO  TO  CALCUTTA. 

TWO   SALOON    PASSENGERS — TUTICORIN    TO    MADJURA,   THE 

ATHENS   OF   ASIA — CHASED   BY   AN    ELEPHANT HINDU 

SUPERSTITIONS — INDIAN  RELIGIONS — CALCUTTA. 

Ceylon  the  beautiful,  Ceylon,  the  charming  isle  of  the 
Indian  Ocean,  lingers  in  the  memory  as  ever-present 
company.  Nature  has  been  partial  to  its  mountain 
scenery,  and  prodigal  in  lavishing  upon  it  a  wealth  of 
beauty.  Besides  embracing  the  typical  features  of  both 
the  Rockies  and  Sierras,  an  additional  strain  of  ex- 
quisite beauty  is  added  by  giving  the  entire  jewel  a  setting 
of  tropical  luxuriance.  He  who  stops  at  Colombo  sees 
nothing  but  the  museum  in  the  Cinnamon  Gardens, 
Kelani  Temple,  and  a  display  of  diamonds  and  other 
precious  stones  in  the  bazaars,  while  he  who  pushes  into 
the  interior  is  a  thousand-fold  repaid  for  his  every  effort. 

At  no  point  have  I  been  as  impatient  with  beggars  of 
baksheesh  as  in  Ceylon  and  Southern  India.  If  the  na- 
tives can  speak  any  other  language  besides  their  own, 
it  is  usually  English.  Consequently  when  they  see  a 
person  who  wears  European  or  American  dress,  they  con- 
sider him  to  be  a  never-failing  victim  of  their  pleading. 
They  have  almost  enough  patience  to  outdo  Job  at  his  best. 
They  follow  one  along  the  street  from  block  to  block, 
bowing  and  making  themselves  generally  obnoxious.  As 
long  as  I  answered  them  in  English,  my  pathway  was 

150 


Colombo  to  Calcutta. 


I51 


strewn  with  thorns ;  but  it  was  not  to  last.  After  escaping 
from  the  last  one  to  whom  I  had  betrayed  myself  by  the 
use  of  English,  I  undertook  to  answer  all  others  in  Ger- 
man, which  they  did  not  understand.  Before  that  kind 
of  a  torrent  of  language  my  pests  went  down  like  corn- 
stalks before  a  young  cyclone.  If,  however,  a  braver  one 
withstood  the  German,  I  hurled  at  him  philippics  from 
Latin  masterpieces ;  and  if  these  failed,  I  poured  forth  a 
blast  from  some  Greek  classic  that  I  happened  to  remem- 
ber. Greek  as  a  last  resort  was  a  perfect  antidote. 
I  remember  having  held  a  crowd  at  bay  in  Kandy  by 
resorting  to  such  tactics.  The  best  part  of  it  all  was 
to  know  that  I  had  evaded  their  tactics,  and  could  enjoy 
myself  as  I  listened  to  their  conversation  as  they  under- 
took to  decipher  my  nationality. 

I  entered  India  at  Tuticorin,  the  southernmost  port 
of  the  empire,  the  voyage  from  Colombo  having  been 
made  by  the  steamship  Africa  of  the  British  India  Steam 
Navigation  Company.  This  line  maintains  a  daily  mail 
service  (Sundays  excepted)  from  Colombo  to  Tuticorin, 
leaving  Colombo  at  four  o'clock  P.  M.  and  arriving  in 
Tuticorin  at  eight  o'clock  the  following  morning.  The 
trip  across  was  unique,  there  being  two  saloon  passengers, 
a  lady  of  twenty  summers  and  myself.  She  was  on  her 
way  to  Rangoon,  and  was  compelled  to  go  via  Madras 
as  there  is  no  service  between  Colombo  and  Rangoon. 
I  must  give  that  lady  credit  for  being  the  most  plucky 
lady  sailor  I  ever  saw  aboard  a  ship,  and  at  the  same  time 
the  most  miserable  on  account  of  seasickness.  After  a 
sojourn  of  two  or  three  minutes  at  the  table  her  general 
direction  would  be  on  a  beeline  for  the  banister,  where 
she  would  gaze  for  divers  reasons  towards  the  leaping 
fish.  Conquered,  but  not  overcome  completely,  back  to 
the  table  she  would  hasten,  and  prepare  for  another  trib- 


152  Around  the  World. 

ute  to  the  salty  sea.  The  captain  gave  her  brandy  only 
to  make  more  vexing  her  trying  condition.  If  Eli  Perkins 
had  been  in  my  place,  he  would  have  sympathized  with 
her  by  repeating  the  following  statement  made  by  him  on 
a  similar  occasion :  "I  never  till  now  knew  there  was  so 
much  in  woman." 

The  water  being  shallow,  a  ship  can  not  safely  ap- 
proach near  the  wharf  at  Tuticorin ;  consequently  we 
anchored  seven  miles  away,  where  a  light  steam-launch 
met  us  and  conveyed  us  over  a  very  choppy  sea  to  the 
jetty.  The  mail-train  of  the  South  Indian  Railway  was 
waiting  our  arrival.  At  the  customs  office  I  paid  the 
duty  of  five  per  cent  on  my  kodak,  and  was  cleared  for 
the  trip  northward.  As  no  dining-car  is  carried  on  this 
road,  and  there  being  no  time  for  breakfast  at  the  rail- 
road dining-room,  those  who  desire  breakfast  are  served 
as  the  train  proceeds.  Imagine  the  situation  in  that 
railroad  carriage  when  I  inform  you  that  my  breakfast 
was  brought  and  scattered  all  over  the  car  in  plates,  each 
having  a  cover.  The  plates  had  been  heated  and  every- 
thing was  served  hot.  An  Indian  was  sent  along  to  serve 
the  courses  in  order.  Breakfast  over,  he  left  the  train 
when  the  first  stop  was  made,  taking  the  breakfast  equip- 
ment with  him  to  return  to  Tuticorin  on  the  first  train. 
The  entire  expense  to  me  was  one  rupee  and  four  annas 
(forty  cents  gold). 

It  is  needless  to  state  at  each  departure  the  entire 
process  of  exchanging  the  money  of  the  country  which 
I  am  leaving  for  that  of  the  country  for  which  I  am 
bound.  Such  exchange  is  necessary  as  the  money  of  one 
government  is  not  current  in  another  with  few  excep- 
tions, gold,  however  being  good  and  acceptable  every- 
where. The  man  that  makes  the  fact  known  that  he 
has  gold  has  a  passport  almost  anywhere.    As  I  came  very 


Colombo  to  Calcutta. 


J53 


near  experiencing  discomfiture  on  account  of  having  sil- 
ver and  paper  money  not  current  where  I  was,  I  profited 
by  my  experience,  and  now  demand  gold  sovereigns  when- 
ever I  make  a  requisition  on  London  with  my  letter  of 
credit.  Such  money  being  in  demand,  I  can  get  sufficient 
premium  on  it  to  pay  the  expense  incurred  when  I  pur- 
chased the  letter  of  credit  in  Denver;  and,  besides,  the 
weight  of  fifteen  or  twenty  sovereigns  in  your  belt  is  not 
noticed,  not  considering  their  convenience  when  one  is 
out  on  the  veldt  and  must  either  buy,  beg,  or  bleach  from 
starvation. 

For  years  I  had  been  told  that  the  Hooghly  River, 
one  of  the  mouths  of  the  Ganges,  on  which  Calcutta  is 
situated,  is  the  most  dangerous  water  to  navigate  with 
which  the  pilot  is  forced  to  contend.  Calcutta  is  about  one 
hundred  miles  from  the  sea.  Counter  currents  caused 
by  the  tides,  the  river  current,  and  intersecting  currents 
from  what  seamen  call  the  "bear,"  have  destroyed  many 
ships  attempting  to  reach  this  "City  of  Palaces."  Not- 
withstanding these  dangers,  ships  come  and  go  daily, 
frequently  experiencing  hair-breadth  escapes.  Being 
warned  again  and  again  since  I  reached  Asia,  I  decided 
to  avoid  it  by  crossing  to  Tuticorin  and  risking  the  rail 
journey  of  more  than  one  thousand  four  hundred  miles 
to  Calcutta,  and  at  the  same  time  visit  Southern  India. 
On  reaching  Calcutta  I  was  indeed  surprised  to  be  in- 
formed that,  by  doing  this,  I  had  jumped  from  the  frying 
pan  into  the  fire,  as  the  South  Indian  Railroad  is  the  most 
dangerous  piece  of  road  imaginable,  a  disastrous  wreck 
having  occurred  only  a  few  days  ago  on  account  of  a 
washout.  It  has  several  bridges  more  than  a  mile  in 
length  and  in  bad  condition.  I  noticed  that  there  were 
very  few  passengers  for  such  a  long  train,  at  least  twelve 
cars,  and  now  learn  that  it  is  preferable  to  risk  the  dangers 


*54 


Around  the  World. 


of  the  mad  Hooghly  than  to  committ  one's  self  to  that 
road  at  present.  The  passengers  from  Colombo  to  North 
India  were  doubtless  acquainted  with  conditions,  and 
had  gone  by  steamer.  Yesterday  the  steamer  Olympia 
arrived  in  Calcutta  with  a  distressed  lot  of  passengers, 
who  were  detained  at  the  mouth  of  the  Hooghly  an  entire 
day,  and  thought  they  would  never  reach  land  again, 
while  I,  coming  by  the  boycotted  railroad,  had  arrived 
safely  without  the  thought  of  danger,  and  I  had  also 
visited  Madura,  the  "Athens  of  Asia,"  besides  seeing 
Madras  and  getting  a  taste  of  Tanjore  and  Trichinopoly, 
the  railroad  ticket  permitting  stop-over  at  every  point 
of  interest. 

Madura  is  indescribably  interesting.  From  time  im- 
memorial it  has  been  the  political  and  religious  capital 
of  Southern  India.  Its  temple  sacred  to  Siva  is  a  mag- 
nificent structure,  with  a  profusion  of  ornamentation  and 
decoration  not  found  in  Japan  or  China.  The  carving 
and  statuary  of  the  gallery  is  said  to  bave  cost  five 
million  dollars  gold,  but  the  cost  of  the  entire  structure 
hovers  somewhere  toward  the  billion-dollar  mark.  It  is 
730  by  850  feet  in  size,  with  tbirteen  towers  covered  with 
statuary  to  the  highest  pinnacle,  the  tallest  tower  rising- 
one  hundred  and  fifty  feet,  and  serves  as  a  gateway.  One 
tower  is  covered  with  gold,  and  has  the  least  elevation 
of  all.  As  I  entered  this  temple,  I  observed  five  elephants 
busily  engaged  at  their  dinner.  When  one  of  the  keepers 
noticed  me,  he  quickly  unchained  an  elephant  and  it 
came  in  a  beeline  for  me.  I  stepped  to  one  side  to  give 
him  the  road,  as  I  do  not  care  to  measure  strength  witb 
one  of  those  giants  in  this  warm  climate  or  elsewhere. 
Instead  of  marching  on,  be  faced  me  and  I  again  hastened 
to  clear  the  track,  supposing  that  I  had  gotten  into  his 


Colombo  to  Calcutta.  155 

way  bv  mistake.  As  quickly  as  it  takes  me  to  write  it, 
he  changed  front  and  faced  me  again.  I  then  was  aware 
that  I  was  the  object  of  his  movements.  At  this  point  my 
Kashmir  guide  informed  me  that  the  elephant  was  beg- 
ging, and  desired  me  to  throw  some  money  to  the  floor. 
Glad  enough  to  extricate  myself  from  the  unpleasant  sit- 
uation so  easily,  I  threw  four  quarter  annas  (two  cents) 
upon  the  floor,  and  was  amazed  to  see  the  elephant  pick 
them  up  and  turn  them  over  to  his  keeper,  and  both  were 
satisfied.  Before  I  understood  that  the  beast  was  begging, 
he  became  impatient  at  my  inability  to  comprehend  his 
desire,  and  made  a  hideous  noise  as  an  evidence  of  his 
displeasure,  requiring  a  stroke  from  the  keeper's  rod 
to  put  him  to  rights,  and  restore  my  self-possession.  I 
afterwards  hired  the  elephant  at  an  expenditure  of  six- 
teen cents  (half  a  rupee)  and  secured  two  snapshots  of 
myself  astride  the  beggar  by  having  my  guide  operate  the 
kodak.  A  large  crowd  gathered  to  see  me  mount  the 
elephant,  as  it  is  quite  a  task  when  no  ladder  is  provided 
for  that  purpose.  An  elephant  is  a  huge  bundle  of  flesh 
and  bone  even  when  kneeling.  After  he  was  made  to 
kneel,  I  placed  my  right  foot  upon  his  knee,  grasped  his 
enormous  ear  with  my  right  hand,  and  placed  my  left 
hand  upon  his  neck,  in  which  position  I  managed  to  leap 
to  his  back  to  the  surprise  of  every  beholder.  When  he 
arose  to  have  our  picture  taken  I  was  out  of  reach  of  every 
beggar ;  but  when  I  slid  down  to  terra  firma  the  number 
of  beggars  multiplied,  as  they  doubtless  thought  I  was 
some  rich  baron,  and  had  purchased  the  monster,  which  I 
managed  at  my  pleasure.  To  make  matters  worse,  another 
elephant  keeper  turned  his  beast  loose,  and  with  it  pur- 
sued me  all  about  the  temple,  desiring  me  to  be  as  good 
to  his  elephant  by  having  a  similar  picture  and  earning 


156  Around  the  World. 

the  coin.  My  superior  speed  and  ability  to  dodge  about 
the  piers  and  columns  and  colonnades  enabled  me  to  evade 
him  and  his  swiftly-moving  giant  from  the  jungle.  One 
of  the  compartments  is  called  the  "Room  of  a  Thousand 
Pillars"  because  it  is  supported  by  that  number  of  columns. 

Hinduism  has  multitudinous  gods,  the  three  chief  gods 
being  Brahma,  the  creator;  Vishnu,  the  nourisher;  and 
Siva,  the  destroyer.  Brahma  has  no  shrines  or  temples 
erected  to  his  memory,  as  most  Hindus  have  long  ago 
fallen  out  with  that  god  for  having  created  the  world  and 
everything  contained  therein.  Untold  riches  have  been 
utilized  in  building  shrines  to  Vishnu  and  Siva.  I  have 
no  data,  nor  do  I  understand  that  any  data  exists  stating 
the  numerical  strength  of  the  worshipers  of  Vishnu  or 
Siva.  Some  worship  one,  and  others  the  other  god,  while 
many  worship  both.  It  is  my  opinion  that  the  followers 
of  Vishnu  are  far  in  the  majority,  as  Buddha  was  one 
incarnation  of  Vishnu,  and  the  Buddhists  are  numerous, 
not  only  in  India,  but  also  in  China  and  Japan.  Among 
the  costly  temples  sacred  to  Siva,  some  are  devoted  to  the 
worship  of  the  sky,  others  to  fire,  and  still  others  to  water, 
the  earth,  and  the  air. 

Among  the  Hindus  there  are  four  castes,  the  highest 
being  the  Brahmans,  or  priests,  including  what  is  known 
as  the  high  caste ;  the  second  are  the  warriors ;  the  third 
are  the  merchants  and  tillers  of  the  land ;  the  fourth,  and 
lowest,  are  the  sudras,  or  coolies.  These  four  castes 
are  subdivided  into  probably  four  thousand  more.  I  am 
told  that  every  person  is  named  after  some  god  or  god- 
dess, and  that  every  child  is  named  after  its  grandfather 
or  grandmother. 

During  my  stay  in  the  cities  of  Southern  India,  I 
noticed  many  a  home  in  city  and  country  almost  sur- 


Colombo  to  Calcutta. 


157 


rounded  with  costly  statuary  in  the  shape  of  animals,  of 
nearly  every  kind,  size,  and  description.  Some  evidently 
cost  as  much  as  the  farm  or  home  was  worth.  The  reply 
to  my  question  as  to  the  reason  for  such  a  display  was : 
"The  statuary  is  constructed  and  placed  in  position  about 
the  premises  in  order  to  appease  the  wrath  of  the  god  Siva. 
Where  there  are  no  children  in  a  home,  that  home  is  con- 
sidered disgraced  and  under  the  condemnation  of  the 
gods,  and  such  wrath  must  he  overcome  by  making  such  a 
display  before  the  home  can  be  blessed  with  tiny  feet 
and  prattling  lips."  I  saw  several  pieces  of  statuary  that 
were  higher  than  the  houses,  having  been  constructed 
at  enormous  cost. 

I  saw  hundreds,  if  not  thousands,  bathing  in  the  sacred 
river  of  the  Hindus  for  the  purpose  of  having  their  sins 
washed  away. 

I  have  been  in  India  one  week,  and  expect  to  spend 
two  additional  weeks  in  the  Dark  Empire,  but  I  have  seen 
enough  of  Hinduism  thus  far  to  disgust  an  iron  man. 
On  the  other  hand  I  have  seen  enough  of  the  transforming 
influences  accompanying  the  work  of  Christian  missions  to 
make  a  person  shout,  "Glory,  hallelujah !"  As  I  addressed 
the  girls  of  the  Bengali  mission  through  an  interpreter,  I 
was  lifted  heavenward.  The  interest  manifested  was  re- 
markable. I  learned  that,  as  Christians,  many  of  them 
were  Bible  teachers,  native  missionaries,  and  masters  of 
several  languages,  and,  best  of  all,  they  were  a  credit  to 
womankind  in  all  that  constitutes  true  womanhood.  For- 
merly they  were  heartless,  hopeless,  downcast  worshipers 
of  gods  of  stone,  wood,  brass,  the  earth,  sky,  fire,  and  wa- 
ter. Formerly  they  were  taught  licentiousness,  but  now 
they  are  the  pride  of  the  nation  as  examples  of  what 
Christianity  can  do  for  a  people.     In  short,  there  is  so 


iq8  Around  the  World. 

much  difference  between  a  Christian  home  and  a  pagan 
home  that  words  can  not  be  summoned  of  sufficient  de- 
scriptive power  to  bridge  the  chasm  between  them.  And 
yet,  in  an  interview  with  one  of  the  teachers  of  Hinduism, 
I  was  told  that  the  Hindu  representative  at  the  World's 
Congress  of  Religions  at  Chicago  lived  in  Calcutta,  and 
that  the  president  of  that  Congress  and  the  various  del- 
egates representing  the  Christian  religion,  acknowledged 
publicly  the  superiority  of  Hinduism,  and  that  they  flocked 
about  him  in  order  simply  to  touch  the  hem  of  his  gar- 
ment. I  was  perfectly  familiar  with  the  World's  Congress 
at  Chicago  (but  I  did  not  tell  him  so),  and  I  knew  that 
every  statement  he  made  was  absolutely  false.  The  most 
lamentable  part  of  the  matter  is,  that  they  tell  the  natives 
such  a  concoction  of  untruths,  causing  them  to  cling  to 
their  idols,  child  marriages,  and  every  other  abomination 
under  the  sun. 

I  visited  the  block  where  on  June  20,  1756,  the  most 
ghoulish  tragedy  of  history  occurred.  It  is  known  as  the 
tragedy  of  the  Black  Hole  of  Calcutta,  into  which  one 
hundred  and  twenty-three  persons  were  thrown,  men  piled 
upon  fellow-men  by  brutes  incarnate,  until  the  devils  of 
hell  must  have  trembled  lest  they  were  being  outdone  by 
fiends  in  human  form.  But  Lord  Clive  avenged  this  iniqui- 
tous outrage,  and  set  on  foot  the  establishment  of  the  In- 
dian Empire.  A  towering  shaft  now  stands  in  the  middle 
of  the  street  immediately  in  front  of  the  famous  Black- 
Hole  of  Calcutta.  Upon  this  shaft  are  inscribed  the  names 
of  those  who  perished  in  the  living  tomb. 

Calcutta,  with  its  population  of  more  than  a  million, 
is  called  the  City  of  Palaces,  a  very  deserving  name.  Here 
is  Fort  William,  built  in  1773  :  and  the  palace  of  the  vice- 
roy, the  seat  of  government  for  India,  built  in  1804  at  a 


Colombo  to  Calcutta. 


*59 


cost  of  13  lacs  of  rupees  ($433,000  gold).  The  post-office 
building  is  the  finest  building  I  ever  saw  used  for  that 
purpose. 

I  was  delighted  to  meet  Rev.  C.  C.  McCown,  an  old 
college  mate,  recently  assigned  to  his  post  as  a  teacher 
in  the  boys'  school,  and  maintained  by  the  students  of 
Garrett  Biblical  Institute.  Memories  were  refreshed  as 
the  days  of  not  so  long  ago  were  made  to  pass  in  grand 
review  before  us.  A  very  delightful  conversational  visit 
to  the  Buckeye  State  was  made  in  company  with  Miss 
Elizabeth  Maxey,  formerly  of  Madison  County,  Ohio, 
where  I  spent  my  first  eighteen  years.  She  has  resided 
in  India  the  past  twelve  years,  being  in  charge  of  the 
Deaconess  Home  of  Calcutta.  Space  will  not  permit  in- 
dividual mention  of  all  who  have  been  tireless  in  acquaint- 
ing me  with  India.  However,  I  can  not  pass  without  men- 
tioning the  names  of  Rev.  D.  H.  Lee  and  wife,  in  charge 
of  the  Bengali  mission,  who  have  been  as  father  and 
mother  to  me.  Their  cbildren  were  the  victims  of  that 
horrid  Darjeeling  disaster  that  shocked  the  world  two 
years  ago. 

I  can  not  recall  a  time  when  I  have  been  as  weary  as 
I  am  to-day.  I  have  been  bounced  about  day  and  night 
for  weeks  upon  an  angry  ocean  ;  have  been  jolted  for  three 
days  and  nights  on  an  Indian  railway  train ;  have  been 
frightened  by  one  cobra  and  several  elephants ;  have  been 
surrounded  by  robbers,  whom  I  evaded  by  leaping  into  a 
carriage  and  being  driven  out  of  their  reach ;  have  had 
the  company  of  rats  and  lizards  in  my  room  over  night ; 
have  made  one  address  after  another  to  the  Europeans, 
as  well  as  to  the  natives  through  interpreters ;  have  been 
interviewed  by  officials  and  newspaper  men  as  to  my  in- 
vestigations in   each   country   or  empire   previously   vis- 


160  Around  the  World. 

ited ;  and  have  received  only  one  letter  from  any  one  in 
America.  Nevertheless,  I  have  not  ceased  to  remember 
the  home  friends,  and  in  the  language  of  the  poet  I  take 
pleasure  in  stating  that — 

"  I  pray  for  them  when  sunset 
Is  gilding  every  hill, 
And  darkness  steals  the  twilight, 
And  all  around  is  still ; 

When  I  am  tired  and  weary, 

And  all  my  work  is  o'er, 
'T  is  sweet  to  pray  at  close  of  day 

For  those  I  see  no  more." 


XI. 

INDIA. 

THE  LAND  OF  THE  VEDAS — THREE  HUNDRED  MILLION  PEO- 
PLE SPEAKING  SEVENTY-EIGHT  LANGUAGES — PURCHASlC 
OF  A  WIFE — KING  GIVES  IN  EXCHANGE  THEREFOR  FIVE 
HUNDRED   ELEPHANTS — RELIGION   IN   INDIA. 

For  the  benefit  of  those  who  may  not  be  conversant 
with  Indian  history,  I  shall  make  a  few  historical  allu- 
sions as  a  preface  to  my  tour  northward  and  westward, 
in  order  that  each  reader  may  take  renewed  interest  in 
this  most  interesting  quarter  of  the  cradle  of  civilization. 

India,  the  large  peninsula  in  the  south  of  Asia,  is  lim- 
ited on  the  north  by  the  Himalaya  Mountains ;  on  the 
east  by  Burma  and  the  Bay  of  Bengal ;  on  the  south  by 
the  Indian  Ocean ;  on  the  west  by  Beloochistan,  Afghan- 
istan, and  the  x\rabian  Sea ;  and  is  divided  into  two  parts, 
Hindustan  and  Deccan,  the  former  being  north  of  the 
Nerbudda  River,  and  the  latter  to  the  south.  The  prov- 
ince of  Burma  is  a  part  of  the  Indian  Empire,  but  not  so 
geographically.  India  has  a  population  of  about  three 
hundred  million  and  an  area  of  about  one  million  seven 
hundred  thousand  square  miles.  Seventy-eight  languages 
are  spoken,  which  act  as  a  check  against  any  sudden  up- 
rising of  the  people.  Like  the  Chinese,  they  are  divided 
on  account  of  a  multitude  of  tongues.  These  empires, 
if  united,  could  overturn  a  nation  that  might  become  their 
object  of  vengeance. 

ii  161 


1 62  .Around  the  World. 

About  iooo  B.  C.  the  Aryans  set  out  from  their  home 
near  the  Caspian  and  Black  Seas,  and  settled  on  the  banks 
of  the  Indus  River,  which  is  in  the  west  of  India.  Having 
made  their  home  on  the  Indus,  they  put  an  H  before  the 
name  of  the  river  and  called  themselves  Hindus,  a  name 
that  follows  them  and  their  religion  to  this  day.  Their 
numbers  having  multiplied,  they  moved  to  the  Ganges, 
pushing  the  aborigines  before  them,  believing  that  to  the 
victors  belong  the  spoils,  a  system  that  obtains  to  this  hour. 
From  this  point  onward  the  history  of  India  is  one  never- 
ceasing  chapter  of  bloodshed,  war,  rapine,  and  destruc- 
tion. 

The  early  history  of  India  is  found  chiefly  in  the  four 
ancient  religious  books  called  the  Vedas,  written  originally 
in  Sanskrit.  Around  their  heroes,  tales  of  heroism  clus- 
ter similar  to  those  in  Virgil  and  Homer.  Forced  to  wor- 
ship something,  and  seeing,  in  their  spiritual  blindness, 
nothing  more  worthy  of  worship  than  material  things, 
they  deified  the  sun,  moon,  sky,  fire,  and  water,  which 
were  worshiped  according  to  the  choice  of  each  person. 
I  will  present  one  story  from  their  early  history. 

Sita,  the  beautiful  queen  of  Rama,  was  captured  by 
Ravana,  king  of  Ceylon.  Rama  thereupon  raised  a  large 
army  from  the  tribes  of  the  south,  called  monkeys  and 
bears,  with  the  monkey  general,  Hanuman,  in  charge. 
Hanuman  leaped  across  the  straits  between  India  and  Cey- 
lon (sixteen  hours'  journey  by  steamer),  and  found  Sita 
a  prisoner  in  Ceylon,  and  then  leaped  back  with  the  news 
to  Rama,  her  husband.  The  monkey  troops  then  built  a 
bridge  across  to  Ceylon,  killed  Ravana,  and  returned 
upon  the  same  bridge  with  Sita,  after  which  the  former 
disconsolate  king  reigned  gloriously.  Gautama,  after- 
wards called  Buddha,  was  born  near  Agra  in  the  early 


India.  1 63 

part  of  the  fifth  century.  He  introduced  new  thought, 
which  took  form  in  the  shape  of  Buddhism,  an  antagonist 
of  Brahmanism ;  but  the  opposition  of  the  latter  was  so 
great  that  Buddhism  dwindled  to  an  insignificant  position 
by  the  tenth  century,  where  it  still  remains,  while  Brah- 
manism flourishes.  Hinduism  is  all-comprehensive  or 
pantheistic,  and  ought  not  to  be  considered  as  a  religion. 
Hinduism  primarily  provides  for  the  worship  of  Vishnu 
and  Siva,  but  Buddha  was  the  ninth  incarnation  of 
Vishnu ;  hence  the  worshiper  of  Buddha  is  acceptable  to 
Hinduism.  The  Hindu  also  regards  Brahma  as  the  cre- 
ator ;  but  since  Brahmanism  and  Buddhism  are  antago- 
nistic it  is  evident  that  Hinduism  is  in  itself  contradictory. 
The  importance  of  India  as  early  as  518  B.  C.  may  be 
conjectured  when  it  is  known  that,  at  that  early  date, 
Darius,  king  of  Persia,  invaded  the  North,  helped  him- 
self to  the  riches  about  Agra  and  Delhi,  and  sailed  down 
the  Indus  to  the  sea.  Having  annexed  several  provinces 
to  his  realm,  he  reported  that  the  revenue  therefrom 
equaled  one-third  of  all  the  revenue  of  Persia. 

The  reports  of  the  fabulous  wealth  of  North  India 
reached  Greece,  causing  Alexander  the  Great,  king  of 
Macedon,  to  lead  his  victorious  Grecian  army  to  the  far 
East.  Crossing  the  Indus,  he  entered  the  Punjab,  and 
fought  his  way  inch  by  inch  until  victory  perched  upon 
his  banners.  Afterwards  one  of  Alexander's  generals, 
Seleucus,  led  an  army  as  far  as  the  Ganges,  made  a 
treaty  with  the  reigning  king,  to  whom  he  gave  his  daugh- 
ter in  marriage,  and  received  as  pay  therefor  five  hundred 
elephants.  How  weary  that  Grecian  girl  must  have  be- 
come, spending  her  life  in  this  Indian  country,  far  away 
from  the  loved  ones  at  home !  How  often  amid  her  un- 
sightly surroundings  and  painful  isolation  from  the  land 


164  Around  the  World. 

of  her  nativity  she  must  have  become  heart-broken  and 
longed  for  "the  peace  of  home  again,"  sighing — 

"  It  comes  to  me  often  in  silence, 
When  the  firelight  sputters  low ; 
When  the  black,  uncertain  shadows 
Seem  wraiths  of  the  long  ago, — 

Always  with  a  throb  of  heartache, 

That  thrills  each  pulsing  vein, 
Comes  the  old,  unquiet  longing 

For  the  peace  of  home  again." 

After  Buddhism  had  been  partly  swallowed  by  Hindu- 
ism, a  new  competitor  appeared  upon  the  field  in  Moham- 
medanism, founded  by  Mohammed,  who  was  born  at. 
Mecca,  in  Arabia,  570  A.  D.  Twelve  crusades  or  expe- 
ditions were  made  by  the  Mohammedans,  leading  to  the 
planting  of  their  religion  in  India.  The  decisive  under- 
taking was  against  Gujerat,  in  West  India,  which  was 
taken,  no  less  than  twenty  thousand  camels  being  required 
as  a  means  of  transportation.  Tbe  scene  of  action  then 
sbifted  to  Delhi,  where  wars  followed  each  other  in  rapid 
succession.  Several  dynasties  of  the  Muhammads  occu- 
pied the  throne  at  Delhi.  Desiring  to  expand  his  domain, 
the  king  sent  one  hundred  thousand  soldiers  through  the 
Himalayas  to  overrun  China.  Failing  to  subdue  that  vast 
empire  of  millions,  only  a  few  returned,  who  were  put  to 
death  because  they  failed  to  accomplish  the  task  assigned. 

In  1399  Tamerlane  invaded  India  at  the  head  of  the 
Mogul  or  Mohammedan  army,  plundered  the  cities,  took 
multitudes  of  prisoners,  and,  finding  so  many  prisoners 
were  a  burden,  put  one  hundred  thousand  of  them  to 
death,  marched  to  Delhi,  captured  the  city,  and,  it  is  said, 
put  every  person  to  death.  The  city  of  Agra  also  figured 
prominently  in  the  various  wars  waged.  Barbar,  Huma- 
yun,  Akbar,  and  Shah  Jahan,  through  numerous  battles, 


India.  165 

made  every  square  mile  about  Delhi  and  Agra  historic. 
The  famous  Shah  Jahan  is  known  as  "the  world's  great- 
est builder."  The  Jumma  Musjid,  the  Peacock  throne  at 
Delhi,  and  the  Taj  Mahal  at  Agra,  are  regarded  as  the 
finest  pieces  of  architecture  known  to  man.  These  I  shall 
visit  and   describe   en   route  to  Bombay. 

The  magnificence  of  Orientalism  became  known  in 
Western  Europe  in  the  fifteenth  century.  Attempts  were 
made  to  reach  this  land  of  splendor  by  an  all-sea  route. 
Some  sailed  toward  Labrador,  others  towards  the  West 
Indies,  one  Christopher  Columbus  in  particular.  Vasco 
de  Gama  shipped  around  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and 
landed  on  the  west  coast  of  India  in  1498.  Portugal  and 
Spain  occupied  the  field  till  1588,  when  the  so-called  In- 
vincible Spanish  Armada  went  down  before  the  British, 
giving  Britain  a  leverage  on  the  Far  East. 

A  royal  charter  was  signed  by  Queen  Elizabeth  in 
1600  providing  for  the  establishment  of  the  English  East 
India  Company.  Under  it  occurred  the  misrule  of  War- 
ren Hastings  in  1772- 1785 ;  the  tragedy  of  the  Black  Hole 
of  Calcutta  in  1756;  the  siege  of  Delhi;  the  massacre  of 
Cawnpore ;  and  the  relief  of  Lucknow  in  1857,  which  ad- 
ministered a  death-blow  to  the  East  India  Company,  and 
the  entire  authority  and  administration  of  India  was  as- 
sumed by  the  crown  of  England.  English  rule  has  faced 
a  series  of  wars,  famines,  plagues,  earthquakes,  and  finan- 
cial embarrassments,  but  thrives  in  spite  of  a  thousand 
difficulties. 

The  first  Burmese  war  cost  England  twenty  thousand 
lives  and  $72,000,000,  and  as  late  as  1898  she  was  forced 
to  use  sixty  thousand  troops  in  quelling  an  uprising 
among  the  discontented.  At  present  England  has  sev- 
enty-five thousand  of  her  soldiers  in  India,  and.  in  addition 
thereto,   keeps   one   hundred   and   fifty   thousand   native 


1 66  Around  the  World. 

troops  under  arms.  Hence  it  is  seen  that  peace  in  India 
is  now  purchased  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet,  requiring 
a  vast  army  of  two  hundred  and  twenty-five  thousand, 
nearly  a  quarter  of  a  million  drilled  men.  In  an  inter- 
view with  a  major  of  the  British  army  I  was  informed 
that  the  total  expense  of  maintaining  this  horde  of  men 
is  saddled  upon  the  Colonial  Government  and  is  provided 
for  by  taxes,  etc. ;  hence,  it  is  seen  that  these  poor,  de- 
graded, struggling,  famine-stricken,  naked  natives  foot 
the  bill  just  as  "Jones  pays  the  freight."  The  splendid 
results  that  have  come  to  India  through  British  occupa- 
tion are  immeasurable,  yet  it  is  my  conviction  that  the 
American  Government  will  make  the  mistake  of  its  his- 
tory if  it  assumes  a  lordship  over  the  Filpinos  with  the 
iron  hand  so  noticeable  in  Britain's  dealings  with  the 
Indians. 

While  Edward  VII,  king  of  England,  is  emperor  of 
India,  he  is  represented  here  by  Lord  Curzon,  the  vice- 
roy or  governor-general  who  resides  at  the  palace  in  Cal- 
cutta. His  wife  is  an  American  woman,  captured  by  Lord 
Curzon  at  Chicago. 

I  am  disgusted  with  the  way  natives  do  things.  They 
are  thousands  of  years  behind  time.  The  people,  even 
among  the  highest  castes,  use  neither  knife,  fork,  nor 
spoon,  but  dash  their  hands  into  the  one  dish  observed  at 
meal-time,  and  feed  themselves  in  a  way  that  makes  one 
wish  for  a  club.  They  think  chairs  and  tables  a  nuisance, 
and  beds  are  of  no  more  use  to  them  than  boots  to  snakes. 
Some  of  them  seem  to  think  it  impolite  to  put  any  clothes 
whatever  about  their  children  until  they  become  ever  so 
old,  say  eight  to  ten  years,  and  then  the  clothing,  in  many 
instances,  is  often  abbreviated  to  an  encircling  twine  string 
or  thread,  upon  which  is  suspended  a  small,  dangling, 
metal  heart. 


***" 


'{■>/ 


A  Bengali  Child-Mother,  India. 


India.  ifrj 

Child  marriage  is  enough  to  make  one  sick  of  the 
human  race.  It,  next  to  caste,  is  the  curse  of  India.  If 
the  husband  dies,  the  widow  becomes  an  outcast.  Kicked 
out  into  the  streets  or  jungles,  she  must  starve,  beg,  steal, 
sell  herself  as  a  slave,  or  be  driven  to  suicide,  as  multi- 
tudes are. 

On  the  streets  of  Calcutta  I  saw  a  young  widow  aged 
probably  fourteen  to  sixteen  years,  though  compared  with 
Americans,  her  age  would  be  guessed  at  ten  or  twelve 
years.  Her  little  child,  old  enough  to  walk,  was  standing 
by  her  side,  naked,  its  face  upturned  towards  its  mamma's 
face ;  tears  were  creeping  down  its  face  as  it  showed  evi- 
dence of  begging  for  something  to  stay  its  craving  hunger. 
The  little  child's  mother,  nine-tenths  naked,  was  looking 
down,  half  weeping,  at  the  little  one,  which  she  was  unable 
to  help.  Xo  one  could  look  upon  that  scene,  observe  that 
girl  with  features  that  would  grace  the  world's  best  spec- 
imens of  girlhood,  see  the  unquestioned  evidence  of  moth- 
erhood, together  with  the  intense  grief  that  had  possession 
of  both  mother  and  child,  without  longing  for  the  strength 
of  the  world's  navies  and  armies  and  to  be  clothed  with 
power  to  use  them  as  a  gallant  knight  for  the  overthrow 
of  women  slavery  in  India. 

Britain  sent  two  hundred  thousand  troops  to  South 
Africa  to  redress  a  reported  wrong  or  to  grasp  territory, 
while  here,  almost  under  the  governor-general's  palace,  the 
most  stupendous  outrage  in  the  world's  history  thrives  on 
the  ground  that  this  monster  must  be  dealt  with  conserva- 
tively. I  am  of  the  opinion  that  this  outrage  of  centuries' 
standing  would  have  been  throttled  long  ago  by  the  use 
of  belching  battery  and  bristling  bayonet,  if  the  posses- 
sion of  some  surf-beaten  island  and  additional  revenue 
were  to  be  gained. 

It  has  not  been  so  long  ago  since  the  living  widow  was 


1 68  Around  the  World. 

burned  on  the  funeral  pyre  of  her  deceased  husband.  The 
first  reform  step  was  taken  when  the  widow  was  allowed 
to  decide  whether  she  was  to  be  burned  alive.  But,  then, 
the  treatment  of  a  widow  was  so  inhuman  that  many 
chose  to  be  burned  alive  rather  than  to  remain  and  be 
kicked  and  cuffed  about  by  heartless  men.  To-day  the 
rules  of  caste  are  that  rigid  that  any  person  is  driven  from 
home,  friends,  and  kindred  if  he  should  take  a  cup  of 
cold  water  from  the  hand  of  a  person  belonging  to  a  lower 
caste.  If  a  neighbor  is  dying,  no  help  can  be  offered  or 
received  if  not  between  those  of  the  same  caste.  Strange 
to  relate,  however,  that  in  ordinary  life  the  lower  castes 
must  assist  the  upper  as  servants,  which  is  not  breaking 
caste. 

The  other  day  two  persons  lay  on  the  roadside,  dying. 
They  had  lain  all  the  previous  day,  unable  to  move  out  of 
the  burning  rays  of  the  sun.  None  of  their  caste  came 
by,  and  those  who  did  see  them  were  prevented  on  account 
of  caste  from  giving  a  cup  of  cold  water  which  they  so 
much  desired,  a  tank  of  thirty-six  thousand  gallons  being 
only  thirty  yards  away.  When  my  missionary  friend 
found  them,  one  was  dead,  his  face  being  eaten  away  by 
the  razor-backed  dogs  that  infest  that  section.  The  other 
was  able  to  keep  the  hungry  dogs  away  ;  but  he  soon  passed 
to  his  reward,  thankful  for  the  coming  of  the  missionary 
who  knows  no  caste.  When  thoughtless  people  drive  poi- 
soned shafts  of  criticism  at  the  missionary,  I  am  tempted 
to  take  up  arms  and  become  a  fighting  parson. 


XII. 

CALCUTTA  TO  BEXARES  AND  LUCKNOW. 

BENARES,  THE  SACRED  CITY  OF  THE  HINDUS TRIP  ON  THE 

GANGES,  THE  SACRED  RIVER — THE  MONKEY  TEMPLE — 
THE  GHASTLY  SIEGE  OF  LUCKNOW — CONDITIONS  INCI- 
DENT TO  DARKEST  HEATHENDOM — A  PEOPLE  WORSHIP- 
ING FOUR  THOUSAND  GODS MANNERS  AND  CUSTOMS. 

Having  spent  three  eventful  days  in  Calcutta,  I  began 
my  tour  to  the  north  and  west,  leaving  Howrah  Station, 
Calcutta,  at  9  o'clock  P.  AL,  on  the  Punjab  mail-train 
for  Benares,  four  hundred  and  seventy-nine  miles  away, 
requiring  fourteen  hours  for  the  trip,  arriving  in  this  City 
of  Temples  at  11  o'clock  the  forenoon  of  the  day  fol- 
lowing. 

Benares,  the  holy  city  of  the  Hindus,  is  situated  on  the 
north  bank  of  the  Ganges  River,  the  sacred  river  that  once 
flowed  in  heaven,  if  Hinduism  be  true.  Vishnu,  the  nour- 
ishing God.  needing  assistance  in  producing  good  crops, 
saw  to  it  that  this  river,  thirty-six  hundred  feet  wide  here, 
not  only  took  up  its  present  position,  but  also  saw  to  it  that 
this  river  should  remain  on  earth.  Only  one  side  of  it, 
the  north  side,  is  sacred.  The  Hindu  firmly  believes  that 
all  who  die  on  the  north  side  become  monkeys,  and  those 
who  die  on  the  other  side  become  donkeys ;  hence  the 
popularity  of  the  north  side,  as  these  people  regard  the 
outlook  as  better  in  the  monkey  state  than  in  donkeydom. 

A  magnificent  temple  has  been  erected  at  enormous 

169 


170  Around  the  World. 

cost  to  the  monkey  god,  and  the  temple  is  peopled  with  live 
monkeys  of  every  size  and  age.  The  purchase  of  two 
anna's  worth  of  popcorn,  nuts,  etc.,  for  the  monkeys  is  the 
only  condition  precedent  to  admission  to  this  temple,  with 
which  condition  I  gladly  complied,  and  entered  only  to  be 
surrounded  by  thieving  monkey  villains.  And  still  they 
came,  clambering  down  walls,  over  beams,  up  steps,  slid- 
ing down  ropes,  from  every  direction.  Like  Leonidas  at 
Thermopylae,  I  held  my  ground  for  a  time,  as  the  vermints 
were  very  civil  after  the  supply  department  was  exhausted. 

The  most  interesting  features  of  Benares  are  the 
ghauts  (stone  steps),  where  the  bathing  for  the  washing 
away  of  sins  takes  place  from  morning  till  night,  every 
day  of  the  year.  Several  ghauts  are  reserved  for  burning 
the  remains  of  Hindus.  They  are  stacked  alongside  the 
water,  cordwood  is  piled  upon  them ;  the  torch  is  applied ; 
the  fire  rages,  and  the  last  vestige  is  destroyed  as  men, 
standing  with  poles,  prod  the  unconsumed  parts  back  into 
the  flames.  Some  take  great  pains  to  have  the  feet  of 
the  corpse  in  the  water  of  the  Ganges  as  the  remainder 
of  the  body  is  burned,  so  that  the  goddess  of  the  Ganges 
might  be  sure  to  secure  the  deceased.  Finally  the  feet 
are  thrown  into  the  flames  and  the  cremation  ends.  I  saw 
them  in  all  processes;  some  being  carried  in  on  the  shoul- 
ders of  men,  like  cordwood ;  others  being  covered  with 
wood  ;  and  still  others  wrapped  in  flames. 

Here  I  chartered  a  boat  with  four  rowers,  and  made  a 
trip  up  and  down  the  Ganges  among  the  multitude  of  wor- 
shipers and  bathers  and  in  front  of  the  burning  ghauts. 
I  noticed  a  merry  company  of  people  stretching  a  garland 
of  flowers  across  the  river.  On  questioning  my  English- 
speaking  guide  as  to  what  it  meant,  he  replied :  "That  is 
a  necklace  of  flowers  offered  to  the  Ganges  because  of  a 
vow  made  by  a  man  several  years  ago.    It  is  an  old  cus- 


Calcutta  to  Lucknow.  171 

torn  among-  those  who  have  no  children  to  make  a  vow 
to  the  goddess  of  the  Ganges,  promising  to  give  to  the 
sacred  river  a  necklace  of  flowers  if  a  son  might  be  born 
to  the  household.  This  offering  is  to  be  made  when  the 
son  is  ten  years  old.  A  great  holiday  is  made  of  the  occa- 
sion of  the  boy  reaching  the  age  of  ten  years,  a  genuine 
picnic,  to  which  all  the  relatives  are  supposed  to  come 
and  make  merry."  It  was  thus  in  this  case.  A  jolly  party 
was  on  the  bank  as  the  boat  crossed  the  river,  stretching 
the  two  ropes  upon  which  flowers  were  fastened  about 
six  inches  or  less  apart.  No  two  adjoining  flowers  were 
alike,  and  all  were  beautiful,  costing  a  considerable  sum 
to  prepare.  The  occasion  was  further  celebrated  by  the 
launching  of  a  paper  boat  containing  sweetmeats  as  an 
additional  offering  to  the  river  goddess.  Those  belonging 
to  the  higher  castes,  and  therefore  not  wanting  to  be  seen, 
had  tents  held  over  them  during  their  plunge  into  the 
river  for  the  remission  of  sins. 

Bathing  in  the  Ganges  is  necessary  to  salvation,  is 
their  teaching ;  and  it  must  be  on  the  north  side,  as  the 
south  side  does  not  count.  Across  the  river  I  saw 
vultures  busily  engaged  picking  the  bones  of  some  poor 
fellow  who  had  not  bathed  daily  in  the  river,  and  did  not 
have  money  or  friends  to  prepare  his  funeral  pyre ;  hence 
he  must  become  food  for  the  birds  of  the  air,  which  also 
are  sacred.  I  saw  a  few  skulls  bleaching  in  the  sun.  I 
asked  the  guide  why  those  worshipers  dip  up  that  filthy 
Ganges  water  and  put  it  into  their  mouth,  and  he  an- 
swered: "To  worship  Ganges  that  way.  Hindus  got 
plenty  gods." 

Going  down  one  of  the  streets  of  Benares,  I  noticed  a 
procession  of  people  accompanied  with  much  music,  each 
person  adorned  in  gorgeous  apparel,  and  I  asked  what 
that  meant.    The  guide  responded:  "Some  one  got  a  chil- 


if 2  Around  the  World. 

dren,  and  they  rejoice  and  go  take  it  a  present."  Further 
down  the  street  I  saw  an  old,  very  old  man  being  dragged 
through  the  street  by  what  appeared  to  be  a  ten-year-old 
child.  The  aged  man,  being  unable  to  walk,  was  helped 
to  the  Ganges,  so  that  he  might  perform  the  rites  of 
Hinduism  before  going  to  his  long  home.  When  I  state 
that  that  man  was  too  scantily  clad  for  me  to  use  my  kodak 
you  will  get  some  idea  of  the  every-day  scenes  in  a  vast 
city,  known  as  the  sacred  city  of  the  Hindus,  with  its 
quarter  of  a  million  of  people. 

For  eight  hundred  years  Benares  was  the  headquarters 
of  Buddhism  ;  but  in  4  A.  D.  Buddhism  failed.  The  Mo- 
hammedans took  Benares  in  1194  A.  D.,  and  held  it  for 
nearly  six  hundred  years,  or  until  1775,  when  it  was  ceded 
to  the  British. 

Desiring  to  avoid  the  backsheesh  extractors  at  the  hotel 
at  Benares,  I  took  carriage  quite  unexpectedly  to  them ; 
but  those  horses,  doubtless  trained  for  the  purpose,  balked 
at  the  hotel  door  and  left  me  at  the  mercy  of  the  crew, 
composed  of  begging  employees  ranging  in  position  all 
the  way  from  the  grand  providers  of  the  toothpicks  down 
to  the  imperial  pancake-turners.  Xot  willing  to  be  out- 
done by  a  balking  team.  I  sprang  into  another  carriage 
and  was  off  for  the  depot. 

My  next  stop  was  at  Lucknow,  a  city  of  three  hundred 
thousand,  situated  one  hundred  and  eighty-seven  miles 
from  Benares.  Lucknow  is  the  fourth  city  of  India,  being 
surpassed  only  by  Calcutta,  Madras,  and  Bombay.  It  is 
the  capital  of  the  province,  and  is  noted  for  the  splendor 
of  its  palace,  built  as  a  relief  work  during  the  famine  of 
1780,  costing  $5,000,000.  The  British  have  a  first-class 
garrison  here  consisting  of  two  regiments  of  infantry,  one 
of  cavalry,  two  batteries  of  artillery,  one  native  infantry 
regiment,  and  one  of  native  cavalry. 


Calcutta  to  Lucknow  173 

Writing  of  Lucknow,  Rudyard  Kipling  said :  "There 
is  no  city,  except  Bombay  the  queen  of  all,  more  beautiful 
in  her  garish  style  than  Lucknow,  whether  you  see  her 
from  the  bridge  over  the  river,  or  from  the  top  of  the  Im- 
ambora,  looking  down  on  the  gilt  umbrellas  of  the  Chut- 
ter  Muzil  and  the  trees  in  which  the  town  is  bedded. 
Kings  have  adorned  her  with  fantastic  buildings,  endowed 
her  with  charities,  crammed  her  with  pensioners,  and 
drenched  her  with  blood.  She  is  the  center  of  all  idleness, 
intrigue,  and  luxury." 

Probablv  no  other  event  in  Indian  history  is  more 
noteworthy  than  the  memorable  siege  of  Lucknow.  Early 
in  1857  discontent  spread  throughout  India.  The  natives 
unwisely  objected  to  the  spread  of  education  and  the  in- 
troduction of  railways  and  the  telegraph.  Disgruntled 
people  went  from  regiment  to  regiment,  endeavoring  to 
persuade  the  Sepoy  troops  to  mutiny.  A  new  kind  of 
rifle  was  issued  to  the  troops  in  place  of  the  old,  and  for 
these  rifles  greased  cartridges  were  supplied.  The  Sepoys 
were  made  to  believe  that  these  cartridges  were  issued  for 
the  purpose  of  abolishing  their  caste,  and  also  as  a  direct 
slap  at  the  Mohammedans,  who  regard  pork  as  food  for 
the  devils  only.  Many  regiments  refused  to  accept  the 
greased  cartridges,  and  the  British  authorities  then  re- 
called the  order,  but  it  was  too  late.  The  fire  had  started, 
and  no  amount  of  persuasion  could  extinguish  it  without 
bloodshed. 

The  British  had  two  hundred  thousand  Sepoys  in  the 
army  and  only  a  few  home  troops,  as  all  that  could  be 
spared  had  been  used  in  the  Crimean  war,  and  had  not 
returned  to  their  stations.  Sir  Henry  Lawrence  was  in 
command  of  the  British  garrison  at  Lucknow.  Fearing 
that  the  mutiny  might  reach  Lucknow,  he  purchased  pro- 
visions for  a  siege,  and  stored  them  away  in  the  residency. 


174  Around  the  World. 

His  wisdom  was  in  evidence,  for  on  July  4,  1857,  the  res- 
idency was  besieged  and  Lawrence  was  killed  by  a  shell 
from  the  batteries  of  the  Sepoys  planted  in  front  of  his 
headquarters.  The  mutineers  to  the  number  of  fifty  thou- 
sand appeared  on  the  scene  on  June  30th,  but  did  not 
begin  the  work  of  destruction  till  July  2d. 

Within  the  residency  were  2,633  persons  of  whom  only 
730  were  European  soldiers,  479  were  loyal  native  soldiers, 
237  were  women,  260  children,  and  about  800  natives.  Of 
this  number  less  than  half,  including  sick  and  wounded, 
were  left  to  tell  the  awful  tale  of  suffering  endured  during 
the  one  hundred  and  forty-six  days  of  siege.  In  company 
with  the  Rev.  D.  L.  Thoburn,  who  has  spent  many  years 
in  Lucknow,  I  visited  the  residency  and  various  points  of 
interest  connected  with  the  siege  of  Lucknow.  The  res- 
idency, once  a  palatial  structure,  is  now  in  ruins ;  its  roof 
gone ;  its  walls  covered  with  the  marks  of  pounding  can- 
non. The  housetop  is  pointed  out  which  "Bobs,"  now 
known  as  the  hero  of  the  British  in  South  Africa,  climbed 
as  Lieutenant  Roberts  to  signal  his  arrival  with  re-en- 
forcements. A  walled  garden  is  visited  where  two  thou- 
sand Sepoys  were  shot  and  bayoneted  to  a  man  by  the 
Highlanders  and  Lowlanders  of  Scotland,  maddened  by 
the  cruelty  of  the  Sepoys  in  murdering  innocent  women 
and  children. 

As  I  descended  the  steps  at  the  residency  to  visit  the 
underground  rooms  where  the  European  women  and  chil- 
dren were  packed  away  for  safety,  I  was  shocked  as  I 
thought  of  what  those  four  hundred  and  ninety-seven  wo- 
men and  children  must  have  endured  during  the  one 
hundred  and  forty- six  days  of  siege.  Hidden  away 
in  the  dark,  having  little  ventilation  and  less  light,  with 
cannon  booming,  dropping  shells  into  their  midst,  mus- 
ketry rattling  against  the  walls,  the  cries  of  the  wounded 


Calcutta  to  Lucknow.  175 

and  moans  of  the  dying, — all  must  have  combined  to  make 
death  preferable  to  living.  Many  a  time  had  I  read  Ten- 
nyson's "Defense  of  Lucknow,"  but  it  now  has  tenfold 
more  meaning  to  me  than  ever  before. 

"  Banner  of  England,  not  for  a  season,  O  banner  of  Britain,  hast 
thou 
Floated  in  conquering  battle  or  flapt  to  the  battle  cry ; 
Never  with  mightier  glory  than  when  we  had  reared  thee  on 
high, 
Flying  at  top  of  the  roofs  in  the  ghastly  siege  of  Lucknow, 
Shot  through  the  staff  or  halyard,  but  ever  we  raised  thee  anew, 
And  ever  upon  the  topmost  roof  our  banner  of  England  blew." 

A  glimpse  of  the  untold  suffering  of  the  siege  may  be 
caught  from  the  following  lines : 

"Heat  like  the  mouth  of  hell,  or  a  deluge  of  cataract  skies; 
Stench  of  old  offal  decaying,  and  infinite  torment  of  flies ; 
Thoughts  of  the  breezes  of  May  blowing  over  an  English  field  ; 
Cholera,  scurvy,  and  fever,  the  wound  that  would  not  be  healed ; 
Lapping  away  the  limb  by  the  pitiful,  pitiless  knife; 
Torture  and  trouble  in  vain,  for  it  never  could  save  a  life ; 
Valor  of  delicate  women  who  attended  the  hospital  bed ; 
Horror  of  women  in  travail  among  the  dying  and  dead ; 
Grief  of  our  perishing  children,  and  never  a  moment  for  grief; 
Toil  and  ineffable  weariness,  faltering  hopes  of  relief; 
Havelock  baffled,  or  beaten,  or  butchered  for  all  that  we  knew ; 
Then,  da}- and  night,  coming  down  on  the  still  shattered  walls, 
Millions  of  musket  balls,  thousands  of  cannon  balls, — 
But  ever  upon  the  topmost  roof  our  banner  of  England  blew." 

A  few  survivors  of  that  siege  having  been  retired  on 
account  of  years  of  active  service,  pensioners  of  the  Brit- 
ish Empire,  prefer  to  live  here  and  act  as  guides  to  sh<  iw 
visitors  the  points  of  interest.  Some  return  to  England 
to  spend  their  last  days,  but,  becoming  tired  of  a  North- 
ern clime,  hasten  back  to  India  where  they  sacrificed — 
where  they  are  more  at  home. 


176  Around  the  World. 

When  I  mentioned  to  British  officers  that  some  of  their 
treatment  of  the  natives  is  harsh,  too  severe,  they  invari- 
ably suggest  that  rigid  discipline  is  the  only  safeguard 
to  any  government  whatever.  While  there  is  ample 
ground  for  criticising  British  management  and  rule  in 
India,  I  am  ready  to  compliment  the  Briton  for  what  he 
has  done  for  India,  and  to  hurrah  for  the  Union  Jack 
whenever  I  see  it  floating  at  a  masthead,  though  my  love 
for  the  Stars  and  Stripes  is  not  lessened.  When  I  see 
wrongs  that  need  to  be  righted,  practices  that  ought  to  be 
abolished,  a  thousand  and  one  things  that  need  to  be  ad- 
justed when  little  apparent  effort  appears  to  be  put  forth 
to  correct  them.  I  am  reminded  that  this  is  a  great  under- 
taking, the  management  of  these  multitudinous  millions. 
Their  wrong  ideas  and  practices  were  rooted  and  grounded 
centuries  before  England  was  born.  Centuries  of  error 
can  not  be  overcome  in  a  day. 

The  mission  work  in  Lucknow  is  advancing  by  leaps 
and  bounds.  Publishing-houses,  churches,  colleges,  fam- 
ine-relief works,  shops,  and  technic  schools  are  working 
wonders,  whose  splendid  results  point  to  the  salvation  of 
India,  and  happy  ought  he  to  be  who  has  a  part  in  this 
work  by  labor  bestowed  or  by  assisting  in  sustaining  those 
on  the  field. 

The  missionaries  are  a  brave  lot  of  people.  Always 
in  danger,  they  are  fearless.  In  America  I  have  heard  peo- 
ple say,  "They  do  not  want  them  in  mission  lands."  I 
now  rise  to  ask  who  are  meant  by  that  indefinite  "they?" 

Because  a  people  rise,  as  did  certain  Chinese,  and  kill 
a  number  of  missionaries,  some  one  hurries  to  the  conclu- 
sion that  the  gospel-bearers  are  not  wanted.  In  America 
one  might  just  as  safely  say  that  no  police  are  wanted 
in  any  city  because  a  few  policemen  and  marshals  are 
killed  every  year  in  America.     Yes,  a  dozen  have  been 


Calcutta  to  Lucknow. 


177 


known  to  be  killed  in  one  day.  Why  not  pull  down  all  the 
churches  in  America  and  put  the  ministers  back  into  the 
profession  from  which  they  came — where  man}-  of  them 
received  a  larger  salary — why  not  do  this  because  some 
ministers  have  been  killed  for  telling  the  truth  ?  I  am  con- 
vinced that  that  celebrated  European  scholar  told  the 
truth  when  he  said :  "The  world's  greatest  and  best  men 
are  her  missionaries." 

About  Benares  and  Lucknow  camels  are  in  abundance. 
They  are  used  as  a  means  of  transportation  instead  of 
street  cars.  I  am  informed  that  they  travel  seventy  to 
eighty  miles  per  day,  and  can  travel  fifteen  days  and  re- 
quire only  one  drink  of  water.  If  a  man  has  produce  to 
bring  to  the  city,  he  transports  it  upon  the  back  of  his 
camel  or  on  carts.  Importers  of  goods  from  California 
have  a  unique  way  of  advertising  their  goods.  Along  with 
certain  advertising  data  on  the  back  of  a  hotel  menu  card 
I  noticed  the  following  concerning  California : 

"In  this  far  distant  Western  paradise,  the  scenery  is 
picturesque  and  grand,  and  there  is  probably  no  country 
in  the  world  to  compare  with  it." 

Not  only  has  the  fame  of  delightful  California  made 
an  impression  upon  the  inhabitants  of  this  side  of  the 
globe,  but,  strange  to  relate,  the  fame  of  Carrie  Nation 
has  marched  around  the  globe  until  she  is  known  within 
the  jungles  of  Asia.  I  clip  the  following  from  a  paper 
printed  at  Singapore,  down  on  the  equator : 

"NATIONAL  PERIL. 

"  [Mrs.  Carrie  Nation,  the  saloon-smasher,  has  started  a  crusade 
against  tobacco.] 

Mrs.  Nation,  when  you  hankered 

To  administer  a  blow 
Tc  the  alcoholic  tankard 

And  to  crush  the  bowls  that  flow, 
12 


178  Around  the  World. 

I  approved  the  happy  notion, 

Watched  your  efforts  with  delight. 

My  affection  for  '  the  lotion  ' 
(As  they  call  it)  is  but  slight. 

But  O,  dear !  your  latest  movement 

Fills  my  soul  with  keen  dismay ; 
In  your  passion  for  improvement 

You  would  take  our  pipes  away. 
But  unless  you  simply  hate  us, 

Can  you  ponder  undismayed 
On  the  horrors  that  await  us 

At  the  end  of  this  crusade? 

Take  your  enterprising  hatchet 

To  some  more  deserving  curse ; 
Our  tobacco,  if  you  snatch  it, 

Must  give  place  to  something  worse. 
While  you  war  against  the  '  soakers  ' 

I  applaud ;  but  O,  refrain 
From  reducing  honest  smokers 

To  an  after-dinner  cane!" 

Having  often  wondered  why  the  Asiatic  carries  his 
burdens  on  his  head,  I  now  think  I  have  the  solution, 
and  it  is  this :  The  wife,  being  a  beast  of  burden,  or  even 
worse  in  many  places,  is  forced  to  carry  from  one  to  four 
baskets  on  her  head  at  one  time  and  a  child  in  her  arms, 
while  her  lazy  scoundrel  of  a  husband  can  trot  along  be- 
hind to  see  that  she  does  not  stop  to  rest  before  the  hovel 
of  a  home  is  reached. 

Women  of  America !  do  you  appreciate  the  leavening 
and  equalizing  influences  of  Christianity  ?  Or  would  you 
prefer  to  live  in  a  country  where  a  non-Christian  religion 
is  in  the  ascendency?  When  I  arrive  in  America  after 
seeing  the  position  of  women  in  Japan,  China,  Malaysia, 
and  India,  it  will  be  difficult  for  me  to  have  any  patience 
with  the  woman  who  asserts  that  she  has  no  sympathy 
for  Christianity.     British  officers  tell  me  that  they  favor 


Calcutta  to  Lucknow. 


179 


missions,  as  heathen  religions  are  stronger  in  India  than 
the  British  Government  itself.  Missionaries  can  do  more 
for  the  amelioration  of  India  than  the  army.  When  such 
admissions  are  made,  I  wax  optimistic  in  extolling  the 
virtues  of  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ. 

"  They  may  tell  you  that  hate  is  rampant, 
That  love  is  now  dying  out, 
That  the  devil  will  conquer  the  sons  of  men, 
And  put  all  their  plans  to  rout. 

But  do  n't  vou  believe  it,  daughter, 

And  do  n't  you  believe  it,  son  ; 
For  the  good  that  exceeds  the  evil  deeds 

In  life's  battle  is  ten  to  one. 

Then  let  the  grumblers  grumble, 

And  let  the  croakers  croak  ; 
The  world  is  what  we  make  it,  dear, 

And  love  is  the  master-stroke. 

It  will  kill  the  wrath  of  nations, 

It  will  soften  the  chastening  rod; 
It  will  even  abide  and  lead  and  guide 

The  love  that  was  born  of  God." 

I  have  been  puzzled  to  know  what  terms  to  use  in  de- 
scribing these  natives  who  have  not  been  reached  by  civ- 
ilizing or  Western  influences.  Filth,  squalor,  vermin — 
in  short,  everything  unsightly  and  hideous — is  the  object 
of  their  choice.  Their  houses,  smaller  than  street  cars 
and  as  presentable  as  cesspools,  are  dark  as  cellars,  there 
being  no  windows  and  only  one  door,  and  usually  one  roof, 
for  a  dozen  or  more  so-called  houses.  Such  buildings 
cluster  about  a  central  hog-wallow,  no  two  houses  being 
built  on  the  same  lines,  but  all  apparently  striving  for  the 
honor  of  facing  said  disgusting  swine  paradise.  The  only 
exit  for  the  smoke  is  the  door,  and  it  is  always  full  of 
questionable-eyed  youngsters,  clad  in — I  '11  not  say  what. 


I  So  Around  the  World. 

Their  parlor,  sitting-room,  and  kitchen  is  composed  of  a 
few  square  feet  of  well-beaten,  grassless  earth  directly  in 
front  of  the  door  and  within  half  a  jump  of  swinedom,  a 
reeking-,  germ-ridden,  pestilential,  ill-smelling  bog.  At 
any  time  of  the  day  from  one  to  thirteen  persons  of  all 
ages  and  sexes  may  be  seen  stretched  out  full  length  with 
the  dogs,  cats,  and  goats  upon  the  ground  before  the  hovel. 
When  the  good  wife  announces  dinner,  the  entire  posse 
stretches  twice,  sits  up,  and  the  thirteen,  more  or  less, 
immerse  their  hands  in  the  food  served  in  one  cheese-box 
of  a  dish,  and  the  process  of  feeding  begins.  I  forgot  to 
state  that  the  last  one  to  get  his  hand  in  the  swim  is  too 
unutterably  late  for  any  use,  and  finds  employment  in 
holding  the  howling  dog  and  cat  by  the  tail  while  the 
others  get  the  platter  in  shape  to  be  turned  over  to  the 
dog  and  cat  to  lick  to  save  the  bother  of  washing  dish — 
not  dishes,  as  we  are  used  to  hearing  it  referred  to  by 
the  American  ladies  who  enjoy  such  sport,  never.  Early 
in  the  morning  these  people  may  be  seen  upon  the  house- 
tops waiting  for  the  sun  to  give  them  a  warming,  as  they 
are  out  of  coal  and  clothes  too.  I  have  prowled  about  at 
all  hours  of  both  day  and  night,  bent  on  seeing  India,  and 
if  the  word  of  the  missionaries  is  worthy  evidence,  I  am 
seeing  India  as  few  others  have,  excepting  the  bishops 
who  are  notorious  for  having  traveled  multitudinous  miles. 

These  Indian  guides  are  schemers.  I  have  avoided 
them  in  most  places  by  having  Americans  to  smooth  the 
way.  Tell  the  guide  just  where  you  want  to  go,  and  in 
nine  cases  out  of  ten  he  will  run  you  into  some  bazaar 
where  he  has  been  previously  offered  a  per  centum  on  al! 
goods  purchased  by  customers  steered  hither  by  his  di- 
plomacy. 

From  the  number  of  girls  and  women  seen  carrying 
water  in  large  earthen  pitchers  on  their  head,  one  would 


Calcutta  to  Lucknow.  1S1 

infer  that  water  is  in  common  use.  One  glance  inside  the 
average  household  drives  this  idea  into  hiding,  for  dirt 
is  omnipresent,  a  hundred  generations  having  doubtless 
lived  in  the  same  dwelling  and  added  to  the  original  a 
generation  of  dirt  each.  If  the  Hercules,  who  turned  a 
river  out  of  its  course  to  cleanse  the  Augean  stables,  were 
here,  he  would  need  a  pair  of  Mississippis  in  addition  to 
the  Ganges  and  Indus  in  order  to  get  through  the  outer- 
most coating  so  painfully  evident. 

Many  native  stores  display  all  their  goods  on  the 
ground  in  front.  If  a  drove  of  sheep  or  hogs  appears, 
the  entire  stock  is  quickly  carried  inside  by  the  lady  in 
charge,  or,  if  she  happens  to  be  out  gossiping  with  the 
neighbors  when  any  calamity  is  pending,  the  little  six- 
year-old  saddles  the  heavy  articles  upon  the  back  of  his 
younger  sisters,  and  no  harm  is  done.  In  one  place  I 
noticed  a  drove  of  hungry  sheep  in  the  act  of  eating  a 
merchant  out  of  house  and  home.  Such  of  his  produce 
as  they  did  not  eat  in  the  raid  was  trampled  upon  and 
rendered  unfit  for  dogs ;  yet  I  have  no  doubt  that  his  cus- 
tomers found  no  fault,  as  "every  one  is  destined  to  eat 
his  peck  of  dirt." 

Would  you  be  pleased  to  see  some  of  these  non-Chris- 
tian natives  in  their  choice  costume  ?  One  description  will 
not  suffice,  as  they  dress  in  about  as  many  costumes  as 
they  have  gods — namely,  four  thousand  or  more.  I  will 
waste  no  time  with  those  under  eight  or  ten  years  of  age ; 
for  they,  and  many  others  much  older,  usually  wear  little 
more  than  the  sheen  of  perennial  Indian  sunshine.  There 
are  exceptions  to  this,  however.  Rut  let  us  turn  to  those 
more  presentable.  Many  an  Indian  belle  have  I  seen  with 
from  six  to  fifteen  bone,  nickel,  silver,  and  brass  rings 
about  her  ankles ;  that  many,  or  more,  about  her  wrists 
and  arms ;  a  half  dozen  about  her  neck ;  large  rings  in  her 


1 82  Around  the  World. 

ears ;  one  to  three  very  large  rings  in  her  nose ;  at  least 
four  fingers  literally  covered  with  rings ;  huge  claws  on 
her  toes,  resembling  claws  of  a  dragon  ;  bareheaded  ;  shoe- 
less and  stockingless,  with  a  loose  gown  folded  about  her 
body.  As  she  walks  the  street,  her  jewelry  sounds  like  the 
rattle  of  tin  pans,  cymbals,  and  a  rattlebox  combined. 

One  native  told  me  that  women  wear  rings  on  their 
toes  to  indicate  tbat  they  are  married.  Some  women  not 
only  wear  large  rings  in  the  nose — which  I  judge  must 
be  raised  by  a  derrick  when  they  eat — but  also  wear  side 
clamps  on  the  nose ;  for  what  reason  I  have  no  knowledge. 
Many  are  to  be  seen  at  their  work,  wearing  only  a  short 
waist  and  a  pair  of  men's  overalls,  with  most  of  the  lower 
part  cut  away  to  be  used  as  dish-towels ;  but  they  use  no 
dishes,  knives,  forks,  spoons,  tables,  or  chairs,  as  a  rule ; 
hence  why  those  overalls  are  thus  abbreviated  remains  to 
me  a  mystery  awaiting  solution.  Many  of  the  high-caste 
Parsee  women  wear  a  silk  coat  or  a  blouse  and  men's 
pantaloons  of  silk,  and  in  this  way  appear  on  the  streets. 
Among  the  men  a  very  few  wear  European  clothes.  The 
remainder  either  wear  a  turban,  or  go  bareheaded.  Nearly 
all  are  barefooted.  A  captain  of  the  British  army  just 
said,  "State  that  the  men  wear  a  rag  around  them."  This 
is  a  rough-and-easy  way  of  describing  what  baffles  de- 
scription. The  question  of  clothing  varies  with  the  lati- 
tude, the  time  of  the  year,  the  caste,  and  the  purse. 
Many  among  the  coolie  class  wear  the  one  small  reg- 
ulation band,  while  others  are  more  lavish  in  their  ward- 
robe and  appear  in  an  entire  pair  of  trousers,  or  cloth 
answering  the  purpose,  and  still  others  add  to  this  a 
shirt  that  has  been  constructed  without  either  scissors 
or  needle  and  thread. 


xiii.  • 
lucknow  to  delhi. 

VIA   CAWNPORE   AND   AGRA — HISTORIC    MEMORIAL    WELL — 
TIIL     TAJ      MAHAL,     THE     WORLD'S     MASTERPIECE     IN 

ARCHITECTURE KING  AKBAR,  THE   NAPOLEON   OE  THE 

EAST — ORIENTAL    SPLENDOR — A    LAND    OF    RUINS. 

Anxious  to  see  the  historical  Memorial  Well  at 
Cawnpore,  I  visited  that  city,  situated  on  the  south  bank 
of  the  Ganges,  forty-six  miles  from  Lucknow.  At  Cawn- 
pore the  mutineers  were  led  by  Nana  Punt,  who  became 
angry  at  the  English  because  they  refused  to  give  him 
the  pension  formerly  paid  to  his  father.  For  three  weeks 
the  Europeans  held  out ;  but  numbers  surrendered  on 
the  promise  that  they  would  be  conducted  safely  to  Alla- 
habad. Boats  were  provided  to  conduct  the  four  hun- 
dred and  fifty  soldiers  down  the  Ganges.  But  no  sooner 
had  the  men  started  than  they  were  fired  upon  by  the 
treacherous  Sepoys  who  were  on  the  bank  to  see  them 
off.  Those  who  were  not  killed  outright  leaped  into 
the  river,  and  made  an  attempt  to  escape,  only  to  be 
shot  like  dogs  in  the  water.  Four  of  the  number  dived 
a  sufficient  distance  down  stream  to  escape,  but  were 
unable  to  leave  the  water  until  they,  reached  the  city  of 
Allahabad,  the  City  of  God.  What  their  sufferings  were 
can  hardly  be  imagined.  The  women  and  children  were 
imprisoned  at  Cawnpore  to  await  the  worst  treatment 
that  ever  became  the  lot  of  any  people.     Hearing  of  the 

183 


184  Around  the  World. 

horrible  tragedy  on  the  river,  English  troops  came  pour- 
ing in  from  all  over  India  in  order  to  save  the  women 
and  children,  if  possible.  General  Havelock  was  in  com- 
mand of  the  relief  forces,  and  easily  defeated  Nana 
Punt,  who,  vexed  at  hrs  own  defeat,  hurried  into  Cawn- 
pore,  ordered  all  the  women  and  children,  numbering 
nearly  two  hundred,  to  be  brought  out  and  butchered 
as  if  they  had  been  rats  instead  of  the  wives  and  children 
of  British  officers  and  merchants.  To  hide  his  ghoulish 
work,  he  ordered  the  dead,  the  dying,  and  a  few  who 
were  untouched,  to  be  thrown  head  first  into  a  well. 
from  which  not  a  person  was  rescued  alive.  The  Brit- 
ish arrived  too  late.  However,  the  ringleaders  were 
caught,  and  each  was  made  to  lick  up  a  square  foot  of 
the  blood  and  gore  deposited  upon  the  large  circular 
rock  surrounding  the  well.  After  this  performance, 
the  culprits  were  hanged  upon  a  tree,  pointed  out  by 
the  soldier  on  duty  at  the  Memorial  Church  and  Well. 
The  Memorial  Church  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  $100,- 
000  to  the  memory  of  the  men  and  women  of  England 
who  fell  in  that  dreadful  massacre.  Over  the  Memorial 
Well,  on  a  raised  mound,  stands  a  figure  representing 
the  "Angel  of  the  Resurrection,"  with  outspread  wings, 
arms  crossed,  and  in  each  hand  is  a  palm-leaf  draped 
and  bending  over  the  center  of  that  once  living  tomb. 
This  piece  of  statuary  was  executed  from  white  marble, 
and  was  designed  by  the  noted  Baron  Marochetti.  A 
large  octagonal  gothic  screen  of  marble  surrounds  the 
statuary.  Over  the  arch  are  these  words:  "These  are 
they  which  came  out  of  great  tribulation."  Around  the 
circle  of  the  well,  carved  in  marble  are  these  words : 
"Sacred  to  the  perpetual  memory  of  a  great  company  of 
Christian  people,  chiefly  women  and  children,  who,  near 
this  spot,  were  cruelly  murdered  by  the  followers  of  the 


Lucknow  to  Delhi.  185 

rebel,  Nana  Dhandu  runt,  and  cast,  the  dying-  with  the 
dead,  into  the  well  below,  on  15th  July,  1857." 

On  my  arrival  at  Cawnpore  I  was  met  by  Rev.  Dr. 
R.  Hoskins,  who  knew  of  my  coming  from  having  seen 
an  announcement  of  my  itinerary  in  a  Calcutta  paper, 
the  editor  having  invited  me  to  dine  with  him,  and  then 
commented  quite  favorably  upon  the  wisdom  of  my  tak- 
ing such  complete  itinerary  in  the  great  Indian  Empire, 
the  land  of  the  Vedas.  Dr.  Hoskins,  having  been  a 
resident  of  India  forty  years,  and  possessing  such  ripe 
scholarship,  proved  very  helpful  to  me  during  my  stay 
in  Cawnpore,  and  prepared  me  somewhat  for  the  won- 
ders of  Agra  and  Delhi  yet  to  be  visited. 

Here  I  saw  the  great  Ganges  canal,  built  at  a  cost 
of  ten  million  dollars,  representing  only  a  part  of  the 
irrigation  system  of  India.  Cawnpore  has  five  railroads 
and  a  population  of  more  than  two  hundred  thousand. 
Here,  as  well  as  in  the  large  cities  of  India,  are  a  num- 
ber of  woolen  and  cotton  factories,  tanneries,  flourmills, 
boot  and  harness  works,  and  sugarmills.  Famine  relief 
work  is  quite  extensive  also. 

It  was  interesting  to  note  that  the  natives  had  made 
a  god  of  General  Smith  of  the  British  army  because  he 
had  been  very  favorable  to  them  by  a  grant  of  a  piece 
of  land.  So  pleased  were  they  on  account  of  his  dona- 
tion that  an  equestrian  statue  of  him  was  made  and 
placed  in  their  temple  along  with  their  gods  for  every- 
day worship.  If  men  of  money  would  like  to  be  worshiped 
as  gods,  they  might  secure  the  coveted  honor  by  sending 
photos  with  their  checks,  and  live  for  untold  years  in 
Hindu  history.  This  freak  further  illustrates  what  the 
guide  meant  when  he  said,  "Hindus  got  plenty  gods." 

After  a  very  interesting  sojourn  at  Cawnpore,  I 
booked  for  Agra,  a  city  of  one  hundred  and  seventy-five 


1 86  .  Around  the  World. 

thousand,  located  one  hundred  and  fifty-eight  miles  to 
the  northwest  of  Cawnpore,  on  the  bank  of  the  Jumna 
River.  Agra  was  founded  by  Akbar  in  1566,  and  con- 
tinued the  magnificent  court  of  the  kings  down  to  the 
time  of  Shah  Jehan,  the  great  builder.  The  ruins  of 
old  Agra  across  the  river  are  easily  traced,  showing 
where  the  Afghan  kings  of  Hindustan  reigned  until  over- 
thrown at  the  battle  of  Paniphat  by  Barbar,  the  founder 
of  the  Mogul  dynasty.  Akbar  built  as  a  protection  to 
the  city  the  most  imposing  fortification  I  have  seen  in 
India.  It  is  seventy  feet  high  and  two  miles  long,  form- 
ing a  complete  circle  about  his  palace.  It  is  faced  with 
red  sandstone  throughout  and  is  surrounded  by  a  moat 
in  places  twenty  feet  deep.  Beyond  the  moat  are  traces 
of  old  fortifications,  and  another  moat  though  much 
smaller  than  the  main  one.  On  entering  the  fort,  one 
crosses  a  bridge,  which  is  drawn  up  at  night  when  the  huge 
doors  are  closed.  A  regiment  of  British  soldiers  occupies 
the  fort  where  a  large  quantity  of  war  equipment  is 
stored.  Akbar  is  called  the  Napoleon  of  the  East,  but  it 
is  evident  that  a  battery  of  modern  heavy  artillery  could 
level  that  towering  fort  in  a  few  hours. 

Inside  the  fort  are  the  gorgeous  Halls  of  Public 
and  Private  Audience,  the  Palace  of  Glass,  and  what 
is  called  the  Pearl  Mosque,  a  perfect  masterpiece  of  art. 
The  Pearl  Mosque  is  lined  with  marble  throughout, 
and  is  acknowledged  by  critics  to  be  without  equal  in 
the  entire  world  as  a  building  for  worship  on  account 
of  the  chaste  and  uplifting  character  of  its  design.  The 
Private  Hall  of  Audience  is  famous  on  account  of  its 
jasmine  tower  and  golden  pavilion,  and  affords  a  splen- 
did view  of  the  Taj.  which  thus  far  has  so  completely 
baffled  description  that  I  have  not  developed  sufficient 
courage  to  undertake  it.     Connected   with  the   Hall  of 


> 

> 


r 
> 


Lucknow  to  Delhi.  187 

Audience  is  the  grape  garden,  around  which  are  the 
residences  of  the  ladies  of  the  harem,  fronted  by  a  mar- 
ble pavilion,  adjoining  which  are  the  baths  called  the 
Marble  Palace.  The  baths  are  three  in  number — one  for 
the  children,  one  for  the  ladies  of  the  harem,  and  one 
for  the  king — all  of  which  are  made  of  marble,  and  so 
far  surpassed  anything  that  I  had  seen  or  even  imagined 
skilled  workmen  could  contrive  that  I  have  nothing  in 
mind  with  which  to  compare  them.  I  have  visited  the 
White  House  at  Washington,  D.  C,  yet  there  is  a  vast 
gap  between  the  best  observed  heretofore  and  the  splen- 
dor seen  within  the  walls  of  the  fort  at  Agra,  built  by 
and  for  King  Akbar  and  his  successors.  With  a  people 
shackled  with  poverty,  the  kings  and  their  favorite  wo- 
men thrived  in  indescribable  luxury  or  in  extravagance 
run   mad. 

The  large  court  upon  which  all  this  building  luxuriance 
faced,  is  laid  off  in  squares  of  white  and  black  marble  and 
red  sandstone,  like  a  chess-board,  and  was  used  by  Akbar 
on  which  to  play  all  sorts  of  games,  using  girls  clad  in 
perennial  sunshine  as  living  pieces,  who  moved  from 
square  to  square  as  the  game  preceded  before  his  kingly 
gaze.  As  I  walked  from  square  to  square  and  imagined 
the  scene  which  enlivened  this  historic  court  centuries  ago, 
I  was  impressed  that  the  God  of  vengeance  had  decreed 
the  destruction  of  such  an  extravagant  and  licentious 
court.  The  marble  courts,  palaces,  and  pavilions  en- 
dure untarnished,  while  Akbar  and  his  successors  have 
long  ago  ceased  to  operate  on  the  checker-board  of  his- 
tory, their  marble  works  inlaid  with  turquoises,  garnets, 
amethysts,  sapphires,  crystals,  and  diamonds  being  the 
home  of  bats. 

Having  delayed  as  long  as  I  dare,  my  pen  and  weary 
brain  yearn  to  be  done  with  the  Taj  Mahal,  that  mauso- 


1 88  Around  the  World. 

leum  called  a  "dream  in  marble,"  erected  by  that  most 
magnificent  of  all  the  royal  builders,  Shah  Jehan,  as  a 
tomb  for  his  wife. 

From  the  East  Indian  Railway  time-table  I  clip  the 
following  brief  note  of  description : 

"The  exquisite  beauty  of  this  wonder  of  the  world 
stands  unrivaled,  and  affords  an  illustration  of  the  saying 
that  'The  Moguls  designed  like  Titans,  and  finished  like 
jewelers.'  Built  of  the  purest  Jeypore  marble,  the  mau- 
soleum stands  on  a  raised  platform,  at  each  corner  of 
which  is  a  tall  and  graceful  minaret.  Beneath  the  large 
dome,  and  within  an  inclosure  of  most  delicately-carved 
marble  fretwork,  are  the  richly  inlaid  tombs  of  the  prin- 
cess and  her  husband,  Shah  Jehan.  The  Taj,  which 
was  commenced  in  1630  and  completed  in  1648,  is  de- 
scribed as  representing  'the  most  highly-elaborated  stage 
of  ornamentation,  the  stage  at  which  the  architect  ends 
and  the  jeweler  begins.'  In  regard  to  color  and  design, 
its  interior  may  rank  first  in  the  world  for  purely  deco- 
rative workmanship ;  while  the  perfect  symmetry  of  its 
exterior,  and  the  aerial  grace  of  its  domes  and  minarets, 
impress  the  mind  of  the  beholder  in  a  manner  never  to 
be  forgotten." 

As  one  approaches  this  marvel  from  the  city  its  tow- 
ering dome  seems  to  be  suspended  from  heaven.  Coming 
still  closer  it  fades  away  behind  the  wall  of  red  sand- 
stone, causing  one  to  prepare  for  a  disappointment.  I 
expected  to  be  disappointed,  as  I  had  no  idea  that  any 
work  of  men  could  deserve  the  eulogies  lavished  upon 
the  Taj  by  its  every  visitor  for  nearly  three  hundred 
years.  I  had  read  of  the  Taj  until  I  had  concluded  that, 
possibly,  travelers  had  paid  their  respects  to  it  in  the 
most  lavish  terms  because  it  was  fashionable  to  do  so. 
Approaching  it  half-prejudiced  against  it,   my  surprise 


Lucknow  to  Delhi.  189 

was  all  the  more  marked  when,  upon  entering  the  grand 
archway,  I  was  completely  captured  and  surrendered  at 
once  without  the  slightest  evidence  of  resistance.  In 
other  words,  that  sight  of  a  lifetime  spiked  my  cannon, 
seized  my  powder  and  threw  it  into  the  Jumna  River, 
and  put  me  in  irons,  figuratively  speaking.  But  why 
be  captor  to  a  mass  of  marble?  It  is  more  than  marble. 
It  is  the  embodiment  of  thought. 

Speaking  of  the  scene  Ferguson  said :  "Full  of  the 
dome  and  mausoleum,  we  were  not  prepared  for  the  splen- 
dor of  the  approach,  the  magnificently-ornamented  gate- 
way of  red  sandstone,  filled  in  with  inscriptions  from 
the  Koran  in  white  marble,  and  surmounted  by  twenty- 
six  cupolas.  Then  there  is  the  exquisite  setting  of  Taj 
structure  in  a  garden  of  greenery,  fountains,  and  ex- 
panses of  water,  bounded  by  marble  walls  and  terraces, 
with  an  avenue  of  cypress  trees,  beyond  which  are  flower- 
beds and  lawns  surrounded  by  great  palms  and  a  va- 
riety of  flowering  trees,  shrubs,  and  pot-plants,  display- 
ing many  varieties  of  chrysanthemums  and  beds  of 
violets.  All  are  kept  in  the  best  of  order  by  the  govern- 
ment. The  whole  quadrangle  is  inclosed  by  lofty  sand- 
stone walls  on  three  sides,  the  Jumna  River  forming 
the  fourth.  The  contrast  between  dull  red  sandstone, 
the  abounding  greenery,  the  glistening  waters,  and  the 
pearly  gray  or  creamy  white  of  the  mausoleum  has  to 
be  seen  and  felt  rather  than  described." 

Advancing  beyond  this  garden  of  beauty  to  the  mar- 
ble terrace  more  than  three  hundred  feet  square,  the  mar- 
ble pile  is  reached.  Decorations  abound,  inlaid  with 
precious  stones,  such  as  jasper,  carnelian,  turquoise,  gar- 
nets, crystal,  agate,  coral,  sapphires,  onyx,  and  diamonds. 
The  guide  grows  eloquent  as  he  describes  the  wealth  ob- 
servable on  all   sides.     The  marble  tombs  are  literally 


190  Around  the  World. 

ablaze  with  costly  jewels.  The  walls,  domes,  minarets, 
halls,  arcades — in  fact,  everything,  bristles  with  inlaid 
work  costing  untold  sums.  I  am  told  that  twenty  thou- 
sand workmen  were  employed  seventeen  years  in  build- 
ing. An  old  manuscript  states  that  the  head  master- 
builder  was  secured  in  Persia,  and  the  master  mason 
came  from  Babylon,  each  receiving  a  salary  of  1,000 
rupees  a  month.  Expert  workmen  came  from  the  utter- 
most parts  of  the  known  world.  The  white  marble  came 
from  Jeypore ;  the  yellow  from  alongside  the  river  Ner- 
bndda,  costing  forty  rupees  per  square  yard ;  the  black 
marble  came  from  Charkot ;  crystal  from  China ;  tur- 
quoise from  Tibet ;  agate  from  Yemen ;  lapis-lazuli  from 
Ceylon,  costing  1,156  rupees  per  square  yard;  coral  from 
the  Red  Sea ;  garnets  and  diamonds  from  Bundelkund ; 
onyx  and  amethist  from  Persia ;  sapphires  from  Ceylon ; 
and  one  hundred  and  fourteen  thousand  cart-loads  of 
red  sandstone  from  Fatehpur  Sikri.  Many  other  precious 
stones  were  also  used  in  the  inlaying  of  the  flowers,  which 
have  no  name  in  our  language.  The  cost  is  estimated  at 
32,000,000  rupees,  not  counting  the  labor  of  the  thousands 
of  workmen,  whose  labor  was  not  paid  for  or  even  com- 
puted. When  the  Taj  was  completed,  its  builder,  Shah 
Jehan,  proposed  to  build  another  one  of  black  marble 
across  the  river  for  himself  and  connect  the  two  by  bridge ; 
but  he  had  so  impoverished  his  vast  kingdom  in  complet- 
ing this  one  that  he  was  deemed  unfit  to  govern,  and  was 
•deposed. 

Space  forbids  further  Agra  data  ;  hence  I  hasten  to  this 
city,  Delhi,  whose  history  dates  back  to  the  time  of 
Joshua.  It  is  also  on  the  Jumna  River,  one  hundred  and 
thirteen  miles  north  from  Agra,  and  nearly  one  thousand 
miles  north  and  west  of  Calcutta.  This  city  has  been  the 
foot-ball  of  kings,  having  been  built  and  destroyed  about 


Lucknow  to  Delhi.  igi 

as  many  times  as  Jerusalem.  The  city  now  numbers  over 
two  hundred  thousand,  but  is  only  a  remnant  of  its  former 
glory.  Once  it  covered  an  additional  forty-five  square 
miles,  a  fact  evidenced  by  the  ruins  scattered  for  eighteen 
miles  out  into  the  country.  The  city  has  occupied  five 
sites  during  the  past  five  thousand  years.  Two  miles  out 
I  visited  one  of  the  old  sites  dating  320  years  B.  C.  I 
climbed  to  the  top  of  an  old  palace  or  citadel,  upon  whose 
summit  still  stands  a  huge  monolith  (solid  rock)  rising 
forty-two  feet  in  the  air  and  extending  thirteen  feet  into 
the  building.  The  shaft  is  imbedded  in  the  building 
at  least  fifty  feet  above  the  level  of  the  ground,  and  being 
fifty-five  feet  in  length  (forty-two  feet  above  and  thirteen 
feet  in  the  building),  its  summit  reaches  ninety-two  feet 
above  the  level.  How  that  solid  piece  of  rock  was  trans- 
ported from  the  Himalaya  Mountains  and  erected  in  its 
present  position  is  an  enigma  of  history.  It  is  a  question 
whether  there  is  any  machinery  of  this  advanced  day 
sufficiently  powerful  to  even  lift  that  shaft,  not  bringing 
into  account  its  transportation  from  the  mountains  of 
eternal  snow  and  its  erection  where  it  now  bids  defiance 
to  the  ravages  of  time. 

When  I  contemplate  the  scenes  presented  by  Delhi 
and  its  environs,  I  feel  like  throwing  my  pen  into  the 
Jumna  and  my  articles  into  the  wastebasket,  as  no  words 
can  do  justice  to  the  situation.  Here  the  inlaid  work  in 
the  Hall  of  Private  Audience  surpasses  that  of  Agra's 
palace  within  the  fort.  The  "baths"  here  surpass  those 
of  Agra  to  which  I  paid  particular  compliments.  To  re- 
lieve myself  somewhat  of  being  accused  of  using  extrav- 
agant language,  I  clip  the  following  pointed  extract  from 
the  guide  in  an  attempt  to  pay  tribute  to  Delhi : 

"The  walls,  which  are  between  five  and  six  miles  in 
extent,  inclose  the  palace  or  fort,  the  Juma  Musjid,  the 


192 


Around  the  World. 


railway  station,  the  military  cantonments  and  the  famous 
Chaudni  Chauk.  The  palace  is  on  the  east  of  the  city, 
and  is  in  the  form  of  a  parallelogram,  one  thousand  six 
hundred  feet  east  and  west,  and  three  thousand  two  hun- 
dred feet  north  and  south.  The  Diwani-Kas,  or  Private 
Hall  of  Audience,  sometimes  called  Privy  Council  Cham- 
ber, is  a  long  hall  supported  by  exquisitely  decorated 
pillars.  It  stands  on  the  east  of  the  fort,  overhanging  the 
river,  and  is  unique  in  the  perception  of  its  rich  and  ar- 
tistic design,  which  renders  it  the  most  elegant  hall  in  the 
world.  The  splendid  tomb  of  the  Emperor  Humayun, 
the  father  of  Akbar,  which  is  two  miles  from  the  town ; 
the  stately  Juma  Musjid,  opposite  the  fort ;  the  Kutab 
mosque,  ten  miles  south  of  the  city,  with  its  graceful  col- 
onnade of  beautifully-sculptured  Hindu  pillars ;  and  the 
adjoining  Kutab  Minor,  the  tallest  minaret  or  pillar  in 
the  world,  being  two  hundred  and  thirty-eight  feet  in 
height,  rising  from  a  base  having  a  diameter  of  forty- 
seven  to  forty-nine  feet  at  its  summit,  are  among  what 
have  been  fitly  termed  'the  many  architectural  glories  of 
Delhi.'  " 

In  the  mutiny  of  1857  more  British  soldiers  were 
killed  at  Delhi  than  in  the  campaigns  about  Lucknow, 
Cawnpore,  and  Agra.  One  mile  northwest  of  the  Mori 
gate  is  the  historic  ridge  where  the  most  severe  fighting 
occurred.  It  was  a  case  of  nine  thousand  British  against 
forty  thousand  armed  Sepoys,  who  had  one  hundred  and 
fourteen  heavy  cannon,  besides  an  abundance  of  stores. 
No  other  soldiers  under  the  Union  Jack  ever  fought 
against  greater  odds  or  achieved  for  England  a  greater 
victory. 

Within  the  fort  are  the  palace  halls  and  Pearl  Mosque. 
Referring  to  this  scene  in  her  book.  "On  the  Face  of  the 
Waters,"  Mrs.  Steele  speaks  of  four  "rose-red  fortress 


Lucknow  to  Delhi  1 93 

walls  hemming  in  a  few  acres  of  earth,  where  the  last 
of  the  Mogul  emperors,  in  1857,  still  dreamed  a  dream 
of  power  among  the  golden  domes,  marble  colonnades, 
and  green  gardens  with  which  his  ancestors  had  crowned 
the  eastern  wall."  Further  mention  is  made  of  "a  cool, 
breezy  world  of  white  and  gold  and  blue,  clasping  a  gar- 
den set  with  flowers  and  fruit,  with  blue  sky,  white  mar- 
ble colonnades,  and  golden  domes,  vaulting  and  zoning 
the  burnished  leaves  of  the  orange-trees,  where  the  green 
fruit  hung  like  emaralds  above  a  tangle  of  roses  and 
marigolds,  chrysanthemums  and  crimson  amaranth."  A 
noted  poet,  visiting  this  scene,  could  command  only  eleven 
words  in  describing  it : 

"  If  on  earth  be  an  Eden  of  bliss, 
It  is  this,  it  is  this,  it  is  this." 

The  peacock  throne  which  once  graced  this  building 
was  removed  to  Persia  by  its  king  when  he  invaded  In- 
dia in  1739  and  captured  Delhi.  That  throne  is  said  to 
have  cost  $30,000,000.  The  stand  upon  which  it  rested 
is  still  in  its  old  place,  and  was  used  as  a  tea-table  during 
the  festivities  attending  the  Durbar.  I  ascended  the 
throne  where  the  ancient  kings  were  accustomed  to  hold 
court  and  receive  the  diplomats  of  foreign  powers.  The 
throne  is  of  marble,  having  birds,  animals,  and  flowers 
inlaid  with  precious  jewels,  rare  and  costly.  Milton  had 
in  mind  a  scene  less  gorgeous  than  this  when  he  wrote: 

High  on  a  throne  of  royalty  which  far 
Outshone  the  wealth  of  Ormuz  and  of  Ind, 
Or  where  the  gorgeous  East  with  richest  hand 
Showers  on  her  king  barbaric  pearl  and  gold." 

It  was  at  Delhi  that  the  Durbar  was  held  formally 
proclaiming  Edward  VII  Emperor  of  India.     Lord  Cur- 
zon  and  the  colonial  secretary  planned  the  big  fair  and 
13 


194 


Around  the  World. 


are  now  receiving  the  plaudits  of  the  world  for  the  success 
of  the  undertaking-.  Arriving  after  the  Durbar  was  over, 
I  had  a  better  opportunity  to  see  many  of  the  exhibits 
than  if  I  had  been  present  while  the  unwieldy  crowd  was 
in  the  city.  Rents  soared  beyond  all  reason.  A  cottage 
that  formerly  rented  at  thirty  rupees  a  month  brought 
i, 600  rupees  a  month  during  the  Durbar  season.  Some 
were  forced  to  pay  from  thirty  to  sixty  rupees  a  day 
to  stay  in  a  tent.  The  places  of  interest  were  so  far  apart 
that  many  were  unable  to  get  about  on  account  of  the 
scarcity  of  carriages,  which,  when  available,  cost  five 
rupees  an  hour.  At  least  forty-five  thousand  British 
troops  were  present,  some  having  marched  from  such 
a  distance  that  they  were  almost  five  months  in  coming, 
and  will  require  the  same  time  to  return,  utilizing  nearly 
a  year  to  make  a  show  at  the  event  of  a  century.  In 
the  parade  were  six  hundred  elephants,  besides  camels 
and  horses  by  the  thousand.  The  Indian  museum  and  art 
exhibit  remains,  and  is  visited  by  thousands  who  were 
unable  to  see  it  during  the  rush.  To  catalogue  or  describe 
it  would  require  a  volume.  I  saw  one  elephant  tusk 
carved  throughout  with  Indian  history  scenes,  that  sold 
for  1,000  rupees  ($320.) 


XIV. 
DELHI  TO  BOMBAY. 

JEYPORE,  THE  MOST  INTERESTING  CITY  IN  INDIA — A  RA- 
JAH WITH  1'OUR  THOUSAND  AND  LIVE  WIVES — THE 
FINEST  DEPOT  IN  THE  WORLD — TOWER  OF  SILENCE — 
MARRIAGE  CUSTOMS — ASIATIC  BARBERS — THE  MISSION 
PROBLEM. 

Having  spent  two  days  at  Delhi,  I  next  visited  Jey- 
pore,  one  hundred  and  ninety-one  miles  to  the  southwest. 
This  city,  often  spelled  Jaipur  or  Jeypur,  is  mentioned  by 
the  guide  as  "the  most  interesting  city  in  India,"  but  it 
did  not  appear  thus  to  me.  Immediately  after  arriving 
I  sent  application  to  the  resident  requesting  the  privilege 
of  visiting  the  palace  of  the  rajah  and  the  old  deserted 
city  of  Amber,  seven  miles  away,  which  was  granted,  the 
rajah,  or  native  prince,  providing  an  elephant  from  his 
stable  for  the  trip  up  the  hill  to  the  old  city  gate.  The 
resident  is  a  British  appointed  official,  who  acts  conjointly 
with  the  rajah. 

Amber  was  the  capital  up  to  1728,  but  was  then  aban- 
doned for  the  new  city,  Jeypore,  which  now  boasts  of  one 
hundred  and  fifty  thousand  people,  surrounded  by  a  wall 
of  red  sandstone,  entered  by  seven  gates.  On  the  streets 
a  motley  crowd  is  everywhere  to  be  seen.  The  visitor 
is  shown  the  school  of  art,  carpet-weavers,  brass-workers, 
and  the  palace  of  the  rajah,  where  his  five  wives  keep 
each  other  company,  and  keep  his  buttons  firmly  sewed 

i95 


ig6  Around  the  World. 

by  calling  the  assistance  of  as  many  of  his  four  thousand 
extra  wives  or  women  slaves  as  occasion  may  demand. 
How  slighted  the  ordinary  batchelor  must  feel  when  he 
learns  that  one  man  in  India  can  boast  of  four  thousand 
and  five  wives !  The  Wind  Palace  at  Jeypore,  over  which 
many  visitors  go  wild  with  delight,  was  rather  tame,  to 
my  notion,  after  seeing  the  beauties  of  Delhi  and  Agra.  A 
glimpse  at  the  embattlements  of  the  old,  ruined,  deserted 
city  of  Amber  was  sufficient  for  me.  but  the  large  col- 
lection of  tigers  in  that  city  interested  me.  My  passing 
the  bars  in  front  of  the  largest  one,  which  is  said  to  have 
killed  ten  men,  caused  him  as  well  as  others  to  leap 
against  the  large  iron  bars  with  screams  that  reminded 
me  of  the  North  Pacific  storm  and  my  thousand  wildcats 
in  a  fight  to  the  finish  as  they  were  molested  by  a  dozen 
rattling  runaway  freight-trains  accompanied  by  as  many 
cyclones  in  collision. 

Street  life  in  Jeypore  as  well  as  in  any  other  Indian 
city  finds  a  counterpart  in  these  words  of  Sir  Edwin 
Arnold: 

"  Forth  fared  the}-  by  common  way  afoot, 
Seeing  the  glad  and  sad  things  of  the  town : — 
The  painted  streets  alive  with  hum  of  noon  ; 
The  traders  cross-legged  mid  their  spice  and  grain ; 
The  buyers  with  their  money  in  their  cloth ; 
The  war  of  words  to  cheapen  this  or  that; 
The  shout  to  clear  the  roads,  the  huge  stone  wheels ; 
The  strong  slow  oxen  and  their  rusting  loads ; 
The  singing  bearers  with  their  palanquins  ; 
The  broad-necked  camels  sweating  in  the  sun ; 
The  housewives  bearing  water  from  the  well 
With  balanced  chatties,  and  athwart  their  hips 
The  black-eyed  babes;  the  fly-swarmed  sweetmeat  shop; 
The  weaver  at  his  loom,  the  cotton  bow 
Twanging,  the  mill  stones  grinding  meal,  the  dogs 
Prowling  for  orts.     .     .     . 


Delhi  to  Bombay.  107 

Here  a  throng 
Gathered  to  watch  some  chattering  snaketamer 
Wind  around  his  wrist  the  living  jewelry 
Of  asp  and  nag,  or  charm  the  hooded  death 
To  angry  dance  to  drone  of  beaded  gourd ; 
There  a  long  time  of  drums  and  gourds,  which  went, 
With  steeds  gay  painted  and  silk  canopies, 
To  bring  the  young  bride  home;  and  here  a  wife 
Stealing  with  cakes  and  garlands  to  the  god, 
To  pray  her  husband's  safe  return  from  trade, 
Or  beg  a  boy  next  birth  ;  hard  by  the  booths, 
Where  the  swart  potters  beat  the  noisy  brass 
For  lamps  and  lotas;  then  by  temple  walls 
And  gateways,  to  the  river." 

I  was  glad  to  leave  Jeypore  and  begin  the  seven-hun- 
dred-mile trip  to  Bombay,  where  I  could  rest  and  do  as 
I  liked  until  the  day  of  sailing  for  Port  Said. 

Bombay  is  a  great  city  of  about  one  million  souls. 
Its  depot  is  built  like  a  palace,  and  my  friends  say  that 
it  is  the  finest  depot  in  the  world.  Why  men  will  stack- 
up  so  much  cash  in  such  a  structure  is  another  wonder 
of  the  world. 

Tbe  Parsees  do  not  bury  their  dead,  as  the  earth  is 
sacred ;  they  do  not  bury  in  tbe  sea,  for  the  water  is 
sacred ;  they  do  not  cremate,  for  fire  is  sacred ;  hence  they 
expose  their  dead  within  stone  walls,  where  tbe  vultures 
of  tbe  air  can  easily  find  them.  These  stone  inclosures  are 
called  "Towers  of  Silence."  I  visited  them  one  morning, 
and  saw  hundreds,  and  probably  thousands,  of  vultures 
wheeling  about  through  the  air,  having  filled  themselves 
on  human  flesh,  and  were  waiting  until  hungry  again 
for  another  meal.  Some  visitors  standing  by  a  tree  said 
they  saw  a  vulture  drop  a  little  child's  arm  near  them, 
and  others  assert  that  fingers  and  other  bits  of  flesh  are 
often  found  on  the  streets  of  Bombay.  Under  such  cir- 
cumstances it  is  no  wonder  that  the  plague  abounds,  tak- 


ig8  Around  the  World. 

ing  off  from  one  hundred  and  fifty  to  two  hundred  daily 
in  this  city  alone. 

A  large  brick  building  is  being  erected  on  one  of  the 
principal  streets,  and  all  the  hodcarriers  are  women.  But 
all  the  women  have  to  do  is  to  carry  the  brick  and  mortar 
to  the  top  of  the  building,  and  the  men  up  there  do  the 
work. 

I  think  it  would  be  wise  to  keep  the  lepers  off  the 
streets.  They  are  everywhere,  with  toes  and  fingers  gone 
— a  horrid  sight.  One  grabbed  a  man  by  the  hands  on 
the  street  the  other  day,  and  be  hastened  home  for  a  batb, 
and  was  so  excited  that  he  took  three  baths  before  quiet 
prevailed  in  his  accelerated  heart. 

A  trip  to  the  Bombay  markets  is  not  without  interest. 
Parrots  and  monkeys  are  for  sale  at  from  one  to  three 
rupees   (32  cents  to  96  cents)   each. 

I  think  I  am  safe  in  stating  that  I  saw  thousands  of 
monkeys  of  all  ages  in  the  trees  near  Jeypore  and  along 
the  railroad  from  Jeypore  to  Bombay.  Camel  ranches 
were  noticed,  where  those  ugly  brutes  appeared  to  be 
as  plentiful  as  sheep  or  cattle  on  the  Western  prairies. 
Camels  sell  for  $50  to  $150.  It  was  not  a  rare  sight 
to  see  a  man  riding  an  elephant  to  town,  doubtless  to 
brine:  home  a  needle  or  some  thread  for  his  wife  in  name, 
but  slave  in  fact.  Deer  and  antelope  were  seen  frequently. 
Some  were  very  tame,  and  were  not  frightened  by  tbe 
rapidly-approaching  train,  while  others  stood  for  a  time, 
then  bounded  away  like  bouncing  bullets,  as  if  on  their 
way  around  the  world  and  wanted  to  finish  the  tour  by 
day  after  to-morrow. 

Tbe  barbers  of  Asia  are  a  fright.  A  few  of  them  have 
shops  witb  modern  equipment,  but  they  are  scarce.  The 
average  barber  goes  about  from  house  to  house,  from 
hotel  to  hotel,  soliciting  as  many  merchants  do  in  America. 


Delhi  to  Bombay.  ion 

I  arrived  in  Agra  at  night,  went  to  the  Great  Northern 
Hotel,  and  was  awakened  in  the  morning  by  a  rap  at  the 
door.  I  opened  the  door  to  learn  the  cause  of  the  alarm. 
A  man  stood  without  who  pronounced,  in  gentle  tones, 
the  word,  ''barber."  Recognizing  by  past  experience 
that  he  desired  to  perform  an  operation  on  my  face,  I 
replied,  "Can  you  give  me  a  good  shave?"  He  answered, 
"Yes,  I  shave  all  the  gentlemen."  I  explained  to  him 
that  the  barbers  thus  far  around  this  terrestrial  ball  con- 
sidered that  it  was  no  vacation  or  picnic  to  shave  me, 
yet  he  argued  that  he  was  an  expert  at  the  craft,  and  de- 
sired to  undertake  the  operation  for  four  annas  (eight 
cents),  the  regulation  price.  I  bade  him  enter.  He  had 
a  coolie  outside  with  a  small  stove  to  provide  hot  water. 
Bringing  in  a  supply,  he  was  ready.  In  my  pajamas,  T 
sat  upright  in  an  ordinary  chair,  such  as  may  be  found 
in  any  sleeping-room  of  any  hotel.  He  lathered  for 
about  a  minute,  then  pulled  from  a  bag  of  razors  sus- 
pended under  his  left  arm  an  old  saw  of  a  knife  that 
might  have  been  through  the  massacre  of  1857,  and  began 
butchering.  The  first  stroke  impressed  me  that  he  had 
doubtless  dressed  many  a  hog,  notwithstanding  the  fact 
that  he  was  either  a  Hindu  or  a  Mohammedan.  He  wore 
a  long  black  coat  in  Prince  Albert  style,  a  white  sash 
about  his  waist  and  shoulder,  a  pair  of  spectacles,  and  a 
turban.  His  left  sleeve  was  rolled  back  so  he  could  use 
his  naked  arm  and  wrist  as  a  depot  for  the  lather  knifed 
from  my  face.  After  enduring  agony  untold,  I  was  re- 
lieved in  a  condition  approaching  that  of  the  slaughter- 
block  observed  in  the  monkey  temple  in  Benares,  where 
one  goat  is  slain  each  week  as  an  offering  to  the  monkey 
god.  I  judged  that  he  ought  to  be  fairly  good  in  order 
to  get  work  at  such  a  hotel,  but  was  sadly  disappointed. 
He  used  no  towel,  nothing  except  his  razors  and  lather 


200  Around  the  World. 

brush.  As  I  showed  evidences  of  mutiny,  he  sent  the 
razor  to  its  little  home  in  the  sack,  and  drew  forth  an- 
other even  more  ancient.  As  he  left  the  door  he  said, 
"Come  back  to-morrow  morning?"  I  replied,  "You  could 
not  give  me  another  shave,"  and  I  am  sure  he  could  not, 
for  another  such  a  grubbing  and  I  would  not  have  enough 
face  left  to  make  it  worth  while  entering  or  asking  credit 
at  a  barber-shop.  As  I  sat,  with  gritting  teeth  and  nerves 
as  unsettled  as  the  clicking  telegraph,  I  saw  or  seemed 
to  see  every  American  barber  with  whom  I  had  enjoyed 
pleasant  moments  during  the  past  five  years.  Before  the 
mirror  of  memory  they  marched  with  their  splendid  equip- 
ment, each  one  repeating  the  oft-heard  and  pleasant- 
sounding  word,  "next,"  while  I  was  next  only  to  dis- 
traction. Taking  a  look  into  the  glass,  I  discovered 
patches  untouched  as  large  as  silver  rupees.  I  was  able 
to  recognize  myself,  however,  after  recalling  the  name 
under  which  I  had  registered  at  the  hotel  the  evening 
before.  Barbers  may  be  seen  shaving  their  customers 
under  trees  on  the  sidewalk  (where  there  are  any),  in 
the  middle  of  the  street,  on  ox-carts,  and,  in  fact,  every- 
where. 

The  marriage  customs  of  India  are  no  less  freakish 
than  those  of  Japan  and  China.  I  shall  be  brief,  as  there 
would  not  be  space  to  describe  them  in  every  province. 
In  one  province  to  the  northwest  of  Bombay,  marriages 
occur  only  on  one  day  in  every  eleven  years.  On  that 
day  every  single  person  must  get  married  who  is  between 
eleven  days  and  eleven  years  old.  If  there  are  more  girls 
than  boys,  the  parents  are  forced  to  go  into  other  prov- 
inces in  order  to  secure  the  cumpulsory  husbands,  and 
vice  versa  in  the  case  of  an  excess  of  boys.  It  is  an  awful 
disgrace  not  to  be  married  in  India,  as  it  is  taught  in  some 
sections  that  an  unmarried  lady  is  inelligible  to  the  Hindu 


Delhi  to  Bombay.  201 

heaven.  Some  teach  that  every  man  is  lost  who  has  no 
son  to  build  his  funeral  pyre  and  preside  at  the  cremation. 
This  accounts,  in  a  great  measure,  for  the  demand  for 
sons.  Official  reports  show  that  one  province  has  four 
hundred  widows  less  than  one  year  old. 

My  friend,  the  Rev.  L.  E.  Linzell,  a  college  mate  in  the 
Ohio  Wesleyan  University,  now  pastor  at  Bombay,  at- 
tended a  Hindu  wedding  last  week.  The  young  people 
were  blindfolded  until  the  ceremony  was  over,  they  hav- 
ing never  seen  each  other  until  they  became  man  and 
wife.  A  part  of  the  ceremony  consists  of  bringing  them 
face  to  face  and  of  tying  their  hands  together  with  a  silk 
thread.  The  covering  was  then  removed,  and  they  looked 
each  other  in  the  face  for  the  first  time ;  and  what  a 
shock  it  must  have  been  to  both,  as  it  meant  love  at  first 
sight !  Love  at  first  sight  may  not  be  so  bad  after  all. 
Robert  Burns  wrote : 

"  But  to  see  her  were  to  love  her, 
L,ove  but  her,  and  love  forever." 

Shakespeare  is  of  a  different  opinion,  for  he  suggests 
that  one  ought  to  be  so  well  pleased  with  the  one  of 
his  choice  that,  for  love's  sake  only,  he  should  heartily  say : 

"  She  is  mine  own. 
And  I  as  rich  in  having  such  a  jewel 
As  twenty  seas,  if  all  their  sands  were  pearls, 
The  water  nectar,  and  the  rocks  pure  gold." 

Tennyson  believed  that  love  ought  to  be  the  underly- 
ing motive,  even  if  one  does  not  gain  the  object  of  his 
love,  for, 

"  'T  is  better  to  have  loved  and  lost 
Than  not  to  have  loved  at  all." 

I  can  safely  venture  the  assertion  that  love  plays 
no  part  in  the   Indian  marriage,  because  the  system  in 


202  Around  the  World. 

vogue  would  require  one  to  love  a  person  who  had  never 
been  seen. 

My  Indian  tour  as  first  planned  embraced  three  thou- 
sand miles,  but  I  have  kept  adding  to  it  until  the  actual 
distance  covered  by  train  aggregates  three  thousand  four 
hundred  and  eighty  miles,  a  distance  that,  if  applied  to 
America,  would  reach  not  only  from  New  York  to  San 
Francisco,  but  would  also  extend  to  a  point  farther  out 
in  the  Pacific  Ocean  than  the  fastest  ocean  greyhound 
could  reach  in  a  day's  travel. 

I  entered  India  three  weeks  ago  at  its  southernmost 
port,  dressed  according  to  the  custom  of  equatorial  cities, 
and  traveled  so  far  northward  that  I  was  compelled  to 
do  what  I  had  never  done  before — draft  into  use  two 
suits  of  heavy  underclothing  and  a  "Frost  King"  chamois 
vest,  besides  a  light  suit  of  underwear  and  the  heaviest 
suit  of  clothes  that  I  had  ever  worn,  together  with  a 
heavy  overcoat  and  three  pairs  of  stockings,  and  still 
I  shivered  with  the  biting  cold  that  seemed  to  sweep  down 
from  the  eternal  snows  of  the  Himalayas. 

One  can  scarcely  imagine  the  extent  of  this  country, 
supporting  a  quarter  of  a  billion  of  people,  without 
giving  it  a  personal  encounter  as  I  have  done.  A  country 
that  requires  Great  Britain  to  maintain  two  hundred  and 
twenty-five  thousand  soldiers,  in  order  to  control  it,  is 
no  small  concern  on  the  back  alley  of  nations.  If  some 
chieftan  should  come  forth  with  sufficient  organizing 
power  to  unify  India  and  China,  with  their  more  than 
half  a  billion  people,  against  the  world,  the  kingdoms  of 
earth  would  be  reduced  to  a  scrap-heap.  He  who  asserts 
that  the  Indians  can  not  fight  is  talking  against  time. 
The  British  officers  say,  and  I  have  interviewed  a  dozen 
of  them,  that  the  natives  as  they  are  now  trained  fight 
like  demons. 


Delhi  to  Bombay.  203 

Among  the  many  surprises  that  have  come  to  my 
notice  is  that  of  the  American  commercial  invasion  of 
Asia.  As  I  wrote  the  last  sentence,  the  afternoon  tea, 
served  at  four  o'clock  throughout  Asia,  was  brought  to 
my  desk,  and  with  it  were  crackers  bearing  the  Amer- 
ican stamp  in  large  letters.  Every  conceivable  kind  of 
American  goods  is  on  sale  almost  everywhere.  The 
American  Trading  Company,  the  North  American  Trad- 
ing Company,  and  the  Chinese- American  Trading  Com- 
pany are  the  largest  concerns,  supplying  the  local  dealers 
in  Asia  with  offices  and  storerooms  in  the  larger  cities. 
They  are  so  firmly  intrenched  in  Shanghai  and  Hong- 
Kong  that  the  British  firms  are  wondering  what  the  re- 
sult of  the  invasion  will  be.  I  have  interviewed  and 
been  interviewed  by  many  a  subject  of  His  Majesty, 
King  Edward,  and  every  one  is  absolutely  amazed  at  the 
almost  limitless  resources  of  America,  and  all  prophesy 
tremendous  development  in  the  future  if  we  keep  level- 
headed men  in  power.  T  have  been  in  company  with  a 
British  major  who  was  in  the  campaign  against  Peking. 
He  spent  his  leisure  time  among  the  American  soldiers, 
and  is  verbose  in  his  compliments  upon  the  American 
government,  because  he  says  it  pays  its  soldiers  better 
and  also  gives  them  a  much  more  liberal  allowance  and 
greater  variety  of  food  than  the  British  government  al- 
lows its  warriors.  The  more  I  see  ourselves  as  others 
see  us,  the  prouder  I  become  that  I  am  an  American. 

Great  Britain  deserves  commendation  for  the  inter- 
est she  manifests  in  providing  for  the  famine  sufferers, 
having  at  present  six  hundred  thousand  pounds  toward 
a  permanent  fund  for  their  relief,  and  at  present  only 
twenty-two  thousand  five  hundred  people  needing  help 
from  the  fund  on  account  of  famine.     I  saw  several  of 


204  Around  the  World. 

the  rescued  who  had  been  eating  mud  and   roots  and 
leaves. 

At  Agra  I  addressed  the  students  of  the  Female  Med- 
ical College,  where  the  same  course  is  pursued  as  in 
America,  using  the  same  English  text-books. 

As  men  are  not  allowed  to  enter  the  homes  of  the 
high-caste  Hindus,  lady  physicians  are  an  absolute  neces- 
sity, though  they  are  a  modern  God-send  to  those  hermit 
women.  One  glimpse  at  my  audience  at  Agra  would 
knock  all  objections  to  the  mission  problem  higher  than 
Gilroy's  kite. 

The  steamship  Britannia,  of  the  Anchor  Line,  is  al- 
most ready  to  sail  for  Liverpool,  and  I  am  ready  to  leave 
India ;  but  I  leave  with  the  argosy  of  memory  laden 
deck-deep  with  scenes  that  can  never  be  eradicated,  and 
I  insist  upon  leaving  as  a  parting  salute  the  testimony 
that,  if  I  had  all  the  gold  of  all  the  world  at  my  command, 
I  would  gladly  offer  it  as  a  sacrifice  for  the  emancipa- 
tion of  India's  millions. 


XV. 

BOMBAY  TO  PORT  SAID. 

THE  OCEAN  VOYAGE — RED  SEA — HEAVY  SEAS — PREACHING 
ABOARD  A  ROLLING  AND  PITCHING  SHIP — THE  HOLY 
MOUNTAIN — TRADITIONAL  CROSSING  OF  ISRAELITES — 
THREADING  THE  SUEZ  CANAL — QUARANTINED — PORT 
SAID. 

Having  spent  three  eventful  weeks  in  India,  I  walked 
the  gangplank  from  the  pier  to  the  British  steamship 
Britannia,  of  the  Anchor  Line,  glad  that  a  much-needed 
rest  awaited  me.  The  measles,  cholera,  and  plague  had 
been  decimating  the  ranks  of  India's  population  by  leaps 
and  bounds.  In  Bombay,  the  day  previous  to  my  depart- 
ure, more  than  two  hundred  persons  fell  before  the 
plague's  onslaught.  They  fell  in  the  streets,  in  the 
shops,  everywhere.  More  than  one  hundred  thousand 
died  of  the  plague  in  India  during  my  visit.  A  medical 
examination  was  required  before  I  was  allowed  to  board 
the  vessel.  The  doctor  simply  felt  my  pulse  and  wrote 
out  the  pass.  The  ship's  crew  was  lined  up  like  a  regi- 
ment of  soldiers  and  examined,  as  the  management  of 
the  vessel  did  not  desire  plague  symptoms  aboard  ship. 
But  the  plague  is  often  sudden  in  its  work,  striking  down 
its  victims  with  little  or  no  warning.  When  a  few  miles 
out,  our  special  pilot  left  us  to  make  the  journey  the  best 
we  could,  and,  tiffin  being  over,  I  stretched  out  upon  the 
couch  in  my  cabin  and  rested  my  weary  bones.     To  go 

205 


206  Around  the  World. 

back  to  a  time  when  I  was  more  tired,  weary,  and  worth- 
less in  body  and  spirit  baffled  recollection.  In  such  a 
condition  no  sleeping-powder  was  necessary  to  drive 
away  the  thoughts  usually  uppermost  when  beginning  a 
long  sea  voyage,  but  to  sleep  I  went  like  a  flash.  All 
cares  vanished;  my  troubles  were  over.  The  sea  might 
roll  to  mountain  heights,  but  for  me  the  sea  and  the 
world  were  as  dead.  At  3.30  I  was  awakened  by  the 
cabin  boy,  who  announced  that  the  afternoon  tea  was 
ready.  Welcome  words  were  they,  though  I  had  to  be 
disturbed  while  recuperating  at  a  marvelous  rate. 

Of  all  the  beautiful  sunsets  observed  on  the  sea,  the 
most  remarkable  occurred  the  first  evening  out  from 
Bombay.  As  the  beam  in  the  bow  of  the  ship  was  alter- 
nately pointing  heavenward  or  evidently  trying  to  har- 
poon sharks  in  the  sea,  my  attention  was  arrested  by 
the  radiance  tinting  the  sky  by  the  descending  sun  as  it 
was  about  to  drop  into  the  billowy  deep.  So  firmly  were 
my  eyes  fixed  and  so  completely  was  I  captured  by  the 
phenomena  that  I  forgot  for  the  time  being  where  I  was, 
when  suddenly  there  was  a  crashing  swish-swash  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  ship.  Forcing  myself  to  abandon 
the  sight  of  that  enchanting  sunset,  I  turned  and  saw  the 
sea  in  a  mad  rush  over  the  upper  deck  toward  my  station. 
Without  taking  a  moment's  time  to  think  about  what  to 
do  or  to  philosophize  over  the  situation,  my  muscles  acted 
half  involuntarily  and  I  found  myself  that  moment  climb- 
ing the  railings — the  very  thing  that  one  ought  not  to 
do.  I  was  out  of  reach  of  the  rush  just  in  time  to  pre- 
vent a  soaking  and  came  out  of  it  with  only  a  few  splashes. 
After  that  episode  I  withdrew  to  safer  quarters,  and  con- 
cluded that  life  was  worth  more  than  all  the  Indian  sun- 
sets that  ever  gilded  an  Oriental  sky.  Whatever  else  you 
do,  do  n't  climb  the  railing  as  I  did,  for  one  lurch  of  the 


Bombay  to  Port  Said.  207 

ship  might  jerk  you  from  the  rail  and  present  you  as 
dessert  for  the  tiger-like,  man-killing  sharks.  This  ship 
was  built  to  run  low  in  the  water,  and,  besides  this  nat- 
ural tendency  to  hide  herself  in  the  waves,  she  is  laden 
with  four  thousand  tons  of  freight  in  excess  of  her  reg- 
istered capacity  which  sinks  her  to  where 

"  Nothing  but  a  speck  we  seem 
In  the  waste  of  waters  round, 
Floating,  floating  like  a  dream." 

Six  days  pass.  Aden  is  left  to  the  right,  and  we  are 
in  the  Red  Sea.  For  weeks  I  had  been  told  that  the  pleas- 
antest  kind  of  sailing  would  be  experienced  in  this  land- 
locked body  of  water.  My  hopes  were  high,  but  were 
brought  down  to  the  level  the  second  day  spent  in  this 
long,  lean  body  of  water.  It  is  1,308  miles  from  Aden 
to  Suez,  and  if  the  weather  keeps  up  its  present  gyra- 
tions, I  judge  that  we  will  be  thirteen  days  in  making 
the  voyage  from  Bombay  to  Port  Said.  You  can  not 
see  land  on  either  side — and  this  is  the  Red  Sea.  I 
would  call  it  an  angry,  bloodthirsty,  heartless  ocean.  But 
it  is  not  the  fault  of  the  water.  The  wind  is  what  creates 
the  mischief.  Far  to  the  north  and  west,  a  lowering  cloud, 
spreading  in  the  shape  of  a  crescent  from  Arabia  to 
Africa's  shore,  bore  down  upon  us.  As  it  came  it  showed 
unquestioned  signs  of  having  an  evil  eye,  or  being  on 
mischief  bent.  Soon  the  waves  began  to  rise  and  to 
chase  each  other  toward  our  innocent  good  ship,  which 
could  not  escape  either  by  turning  back  or  by  driving 
for  the  shore.  YVe  were  in  a  bootleg  or  up  a  tree,  so  to 
speak,  and  there  was  nothing  left  to  be  done  but  to  take 
our  medicine  and  trust  to  Providence.  In  due  time  our 
ship  was  jumping  the  hurdles  in  true  and  ancient  fashion. 
As  the  bow  went  under,  and  as  the  stern  kicked  high  in 
air,  the  mind  wandered  back  to  those  pictures  I  had  often 


208  Around  the  World. 

seen  hanging  upon  walls  in  many  a  home  representing  a 
ship  on  the  ocean  with  decks  level  and  the  waves  only 
a  few  feet  in  height.  But  when  I  return,  if  ever  I  do, 
I  shall  prepare  specifications  for  a  painting  presenting  a 
scene  altogether  different.  It  will  present  a  steamship 
with  her  head  or  prow  raised  aloft  on  a  mountain  of 
water  as  if  she  were  a  gigantic  mastodon  climbing  up  an 
oceanic  Pike's  Peak.  I  would  have  her  half  covered 
with  boiling,  raging,  booming  water.  I  would  have  her 
bridge  half  out  of  vision's  reach,  and  her  officer  lashed 
in  his  position  with  rope  by  the  wheel.  I  would  paint 
the  elements  in  battle  with  the  monster,  driving  her  out- 
rolling  smoke  back  upon  the  ship,  and  burying  it  in 
spray.  I  would  place  a  light  near  the  tops  of  the  huge, 
sloping  mast  fore  and  aft.  I  would  demand  that  the  sea- 
gulls have  a  place  as  they  wheel  in  a  meandering,  lost 
condition,  fighting  with  all  their  strength  against  the 
boisterous,  raging  storm.  I  would  paint  the  blackest 
sky  in  the  background,  and  face  the  scene  with  rays 
of  light  breaking  through  a  gently  receding  canopy, 
prophesying  that  daylight  is  approaching  and  the  triumph 
of  the  king  of  day,  the  most  welcome  sight  that  ever 
greets  a  sailor  after  a  storm-tossed  night. 

The  storm  began  yesterday,  and  still  rages.  All 
night  long  it  worried  the  crew ;  not  mentioning  the  pas- 
sengers. During  breakfast  this  morning,  the  sea  came 
on  board  without  a  ticket,  ran  five  feet  deep  over  the 
upper  deck,  lashed  itself  against  the  dining-saloon,  and 
finding  portholes  open  (portholes  being  five  feet  above 
the  upper  deck)  jumped  in  upon  the  table  and  piano 
without  making  the  semblance  of  an  apology  or  begging 
any  one's  pardon.  At  another  time  the  chief  engineer 
and  two  other  members  of  the  crew,  while  crossing  the 
upper  deck,  were  given  a  free  bath,  but  happily  were  not 


Bombay  to  Port  Said.  209 

washed  overboard.  A  lifeboat  hangs  out,  ready  to  be 
used  at  a  moment's  notice  if  any  one  should  go  overboard, 
but  a  person  overboard  would  not  have  "a  ghost  of  a 
chance"  to  say  his  prayers  again.  I  crossed  the  bridge 
with  the  captain  to-day  (February  9th),  and  he  clung  to 
the  railing  all  the  way  to  keep  from  being  jerked  to  where 
the  boiling  waters  flow. 

All  the  passengers  excepting  myself  are  British,  sev- 
eral being  British  army  officers.  They  are  naturally 
pious,  or,  on  account  of  the  weather,  appear  so,  as  they 
spoke  to  me  on  Saturday  about  wanting  me  to  preach 
on  Sunday.  It  is  the  duty  of  the  purser  and  captain  to 
provide  for  the  Sunday  service,  which  they  did.  I  never 
saw  a  lot  of  passengers  so  eager  to  have  services  before. 
But  their  solicitation  was  manifested  before  the  storm, 
which  is  a  redeeming  feature.  A  lady  returning  home 
from  Madras  to  Liverpool  was  pianist ;  a  gentleman  from 
Glasgow  led  the  singing,  and  a  more  attentive  audience 
I  had  scarcely  met  in  any  neck  of  the  world's  woods.  No 
better  place  to  preach  can  be  imagined  than  on  the  sea, 
and  especially  the  Red  Sea.  A  splendid  sea  was  rolling, 
and  every  sinner  knew,  from  the  way  the  water  drove 
across  the  deck,  that  if  the  hatches  should  be  open  or 
crushed  we  would  all  quickly  join  Pharaoh's  historic 
host,  and  soon  be  scattered  among  his  old  chariot-wheels 
on  the  bottom  of  the  sea.  As  I  came  down  on  the  home 
stretch  at  no  less  than  one  hundred  and  seven  miles  an 
hour,  every  eye  was  riveted  upon  me  in  a  way  that  would 
make  one  vain  if  listened  to  as  attentively  in  the  States. 
My  forty-five  days'  experience  on  the  deep  had  given  to 
me  my  sea-legs,  which  came  quite  handy  on  this  occa- 
sion, as  the  physical  qualifications  demanded  under  these 
circumstances  are  not  unlike  those  that  would  be  required 
of  one  who  would  undertake  to  preach  while  riding  a 
14 


2io  Around  the  World. 

pair  of  horses  in  a  hippodrome,  provided,  however,  that 
you  run  one  horse  about  half  a  gallop  ahead  of  the  other 
in  your  imagination  to  secure  the  rolling  effect,  and  both 
over  hurdles  at  convenient  distances  for  the  pitching. 

Another  day  and  night  pass.  The  sun  rises  to  our 
right,  and  sees  us  still  pitching,  though  the  most  of  the 
rolling  has  ceased,  and  we  are  hopeful  that  the  sea  will 
begin  to  behave  before  nightfall,  as  it  is  not  pleasant 
trying  to  sleep  with  one's  feet  pointing  toward  the  con- 
stellation of  Hercules  one  moment,,  and  the  next  moment 
have  them  drive  in  a  bee-line  for  the  place  towards  which 
bad  men  are  bound.  While  this  seesaw  continues  for  a 
few  days,  one  wishes  for  some  secluded  spot  where  he 
can  stand  on  his  head  for  a  while,  have  it  over,  then  settle 
down  to  well-earned  quiet ;  but  such  an  opportunity  is 
entirely  out  of  the  question  here.  And — just  think  of  it 
— there  is  a  lady  on  board  just  out  of  her  teens,  with  a 
babe  four  months  old.  When  its  melodious  voice  has 
entertained  me  until  I  do  n't  jump  overboard,  I  stroll 
down  to  the  forecastle,  where  the  chickens,  ducks,  and 
sheep  are  penned  awaiting  slaughter,  and  observe  their 
number  gradually  growing  less  each  day ;  and  I  always 
feel  especially  sorry  for  the  ducks,  which  might  swim 
ashore  if  the  ship  should  sink,  but  can  not  on  account  of 
being  cooped  securely.  Poor  ducks !  Their  fate  is  sealed 
against  the  least  glimmer  of  hope,  while  the  chickens 
and  sheep  knew  their  time  was  limited  as  soon  as  they 
stepped  on  board  at  Bombay.  To  diverge,  I  must  say 
that  boy  has  a  right  to  his  own  opinions,  however,  and 
should  be  allowed  to  express  them  as  he  was  not  con- 
sulted about  taking  this  voyage.  Our  stewardess  occu- 
pies her  entire  time  in  an  endeavor  to  amuse  the  boy 
while  the  mother  longs  for  the  sight  of  land. 

Yesterday  (February  ioth)  I  passed  my  thirty-second 


Bombay  to  Port  Said.  21 1 

milestone,  and  feel  much  younger  to-day  as  the  weather 
is  sobering;  in  fact,  it  is  so  much  improved  that  one  can 
step  out  on  the  promenade  deck  without  taking  an  unex- 
pected forced  bath. 

I  admire  this  vessel.  It  never  murmurs,  even  when 
pounded,  cuffed,  and  beaten  unmercifully.  The  captain 
is  proud  of  her.  He  asserts  that  he  once  took  her  into 
Xew  York  with  her  bridge  swept  away  and  so  disabled 
that  total  wreck  could  be  fittingly  used  in  his  report. 
She  was  made  over,  refitted,  and  now  asks  no  quarter 
in  any  storm,  but  drives  bravely  with  brave  officers  into 
the  thickest  of  the  fight.  Some  day  she  will  embark  on 
her  last  trip,  and  it  may  be  that  her  hulk  will  lie  on  the 
rocks,  an  object  of  pity  such  as  is  presented  by  the  P.  & 
O.  ship  that  met  her  fate  in  the  Red  Sea  some  time  ago, 
and  now  sleeps  that  long  sleep  that  knows  no  waking, 
with  her  ribs  protruding  above  water-level,  a  marine 
corpse. 

The  captain  tells  the  story  of  this  ship's  collision 
with  another  ship  in  the  Suez  Canal  that  is  quite  laugh- 
able, even  if  it  is  at  the  expense  of  an  American  passen- 
ger. As  soon  as  the  crash  came,  this  passenger,  seeing 
that  no  efforts  to  lower  the  lifeboats  were  being  made, 
rushed  up  to  the  captain,  threw  his  arms  around  the 
captain's  neck,  and  shouted :  "Are  you  not  going  to  get 
out  the  lifeboats  ?  Are  you  going  to  let  the  ship  go  down 
and  let  us  all  drown  here?"  The  captain  could  do  no 
more  than  laugh,  for  the  keel  of  the  vessel  was  within 
one  or  two  feet  of  the  ground  from  one  end  of  the  canal 
to  the  other,  and  at  that  time  was  actually  in  the  mud  so 
that  sinking  was  impossible.  Xo  vessel  drawing  more 
than  twenty-six  feet  four  inches  can  pass  through  the 
canal.  If  one  presents  itself  sunk  to  a  greater  depth,  a 
part   of  its   cargo  is   removed  and   carried  through  on 


212  Around  the  World. 

lighters.  It  is  very  expensive  to  secure  the  privilege  of 
steaming  a  ship  through  the  Suez,  and  still  not  so  ex- 
pensive as  to  round  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope.  A  vessel 
carrying  ten  thousand  tons  of  cargo  must  pay  canal  dues 
aggregating  $6,400  for  navigating  this  artificial  channel 
eighty-eight  nautical  miles  in  length.  The  traffic  being 
extensive,  this  great  engineering  project  is  a  very  paying 
investment,  the  British  owning  the  greater  part  of  the 
stock. 

The  British  that  I  have  met  criticise  the  Panama  Canal 
project  of  the  Americans  chiefly  on  the  ground  (I  infer) 
that  any  great  undertaking  to  be  successful  must  have 
Great  Britain  back  of  it.  A  little  starch  is  taken  out 
of  their  braggadocio,  pompous  stateliness  when  a  person 
reminds  them  of  the  surrender  of  Lord  Cornwallis  and 
a  few  other  kindred  events.  I  have  not  met  a  British 
officer  who  has  not  raged  and  stormed  over  America's 
leniency  and  kindness  manifested  toward  the  Filipinos. 
They  say  we  handle  them  with  gloves  when  we  ought 
to  give  them  the  bayonet.  I  think  they  could  not  pay 
America  a  higher  compliment,  and  I  can  see  that  they 
are  sore  because  we  have  treated  our  wards  so  much 
better  than  they  have  treated  theirs. 

The  first  officer  came  this  morning  to  invite  me  on 
the  bridge  and  show  me  peaks  flanking  Mount  Horeb 
Slid  Mount  Sinai,  which  are  often  mentioned  as  one 
mountain.  He  also  pointed  out  the  point  supposed  to  be 
the  site  of  Pharaoh's  disaster  and  the  triumph  of  Moses. 
The  sea  is  very  narrow  here,  not  over  seven  miles  wide 
1  judge,  and  the  holy  mountain  region  is  in  plain  view, 
the  rising  sun  giving  it  a  clear  outline.  There  are  sev- 
eral reasons  why  this  point  is  selected  as  the  historical 
site  of  the  crossing  The  sea  is  very  narrow  and  shallow 
here;    it  is  just  between  the  wilderness  of  Egypt  and 


Bombay  to  Port  Said.  213 

Mount  Horeb.  Exodus  iii,  I,  reads:  "Now  Moses  kept 
the  flock  of  Jethro  his  father-in-law,  the  priest  of  Midian, 
and  he  led  the  flock  to  the  backside  of  the  desert,  and 
came  to  the  mountain  of  God,  even  to  Horeb."  Since 
Moses  was  doubtless  familiar  with  every  nook  and  cor- 
ner in  the  valleys  about  Horeb,  and  from  Horeb  to  the 
east  and  north,  it  is  reasonable  to  suppose  that  he,  as  a 
good  guide,  if  permitted  to  choose  the  way,  would  lead 
his  people  over  the  route  he  knew  best.  It  was  here  that 
the  angel  appeared  to  Moses  "in  a  flame  of  fire,  out  of 
the  midst  of  a  bush,"  and  here  God  gave  him  his  com- 
mission to  lead  the  oppressed  children  of  Israel  out  of 
Egypt  into  the  Promised  Land.  In  Exodus  xvii,  6,  we 
are  informed  that  here  Moses  smote  the  rock  and  thereby 
tapped  a  stream,  providing  water  for  the  thirsty  Israel- 
ites. In  xxiii,  6,  finding  that  some  adornments  were  use- 
less, Moses  states  that  "the  children  of  Israel  stripped 
themselves  of  their  ornaments  by  Mount  Horeb."  In 
Deuteronomy  i,  6-8,  information  is  on  file  that  the  Israel- 
ites loafed  about  this  very  section,  which  I  now  behold, 
quite  long  enough,  for  it  reads:  "The  Lord  our  God 
spoke  unto  us  in  Horeb,  saying,  Ye  have  dwelt  long 
enough  in  this  mount.  Behold,  I  have  set  the  land  be- 
fore you.  Go  in  and  possess  the  land  which  the  Lord 
swore  unto  your  fathers,  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob." 
But  they  loafed  on  for  forty  years  when  they  should  have 
done  better.  They  have  their  followers  to-day  in  those 
who  are  satisfied  when  the  Red  Sea  is  crossed,  not  caring 
to  make  progress  for  the  better  things  God  has  in  store 
for  the  persevering.  Not  only  was  this  mountain  made 
sacred  by  the  giving  of  the  law  on  its  summit,  but  it 
takes  further  high  ground  in  history  also,  because  here 
Moses  spent  two  terms  of  forty  days  each,  and  Elijah 


214  Around  the  World. 

went  into  hiding  in  one  of  Horeb's   caves   because  the 
children  of  Israel  had  become  anarchists. 

Last  night  the  lights  of  Suez  rose  above  the  water 
and  made  all  feel  glad.  A  medical  examination  being  re- 
quired before  we  were  allowed  to  enter  the  canal,  we  cast 
anchor  and  awaited  the  morning.  At  six  o'clock  this 
morning  we  were  surrounded  with  boats  of  every  descrip- 
tion. Over  the  sides  of  the  ship  the  Egyptians  poured 
like  an  avalanche,  each  with  something  to  sell.  There 
were  cigars,  cigarettes,  tobacco,  illustrated  post-cards, 
views,  fancy  work,  beads,  shells,  olive-wood  said  to  have 
been  carved  in  Jerusalem,  ivory  ware,  eggs,  tomatoes, 
money-changers,  and  many  other  things,  some  of  which 
have  no  name  in  our  language.  The  medical  examina- 
tion over  and  the  necessary  business  with  the  canal  au- 
thorities transacted,  we  steamed  into  the  thoroughfare 
connecting  the  East  and  West.  Buoys  floated  on  both 
sides  of  the  canal,  and  between  them  the  ship  drove, 
as  the  water  is  too  shallow  outside  the  buoys.  A  few 
miles  out  from  Suez  we  passed  several  large  ships  laden 
with  thousands  of  tons  of  cargo  for  the  Far  East.  For 
some  reason  unknown  to  me  the  other  ships  were  tied 
up — fastened  close  to  the  banks  with  ropes,  so  we  could 
pass  with  unslackened  speed.  It  is  a  strange  sight  to 
see  a  huge  ship  making  her  way  across  the  prairie  or 
desert  upon  a  narrow  ribbon  of  water,  whereas  we  had 
formerly  been  used  to  comparing  these  ducks  of  the  deep 
with  the  boundless  ocean. 

Suez  is  historic  on  account  of  the  many  nationalities 
who  have,  each  in  turn,  here  had  a  footing.  First  of 
all  the  Egyptians  occupied  the  site ;  then  the  Israelites, 
Phoenicians,  Greeks,  Romans,  Arabians,  Turks,  Vene- 
tians, Portuguese,  Italians,  French,  and  English.  Suez 
has  about   fifteen   thousand   inhabitants,   and  is   supplied 


Bombay  to  Port  Said.  215 

with  fresh  water  by  means  of  a  canal  from  the  Nile 
River. 

Pharaoh  Necho  undertook  to  build  a  canal  from  the 
Nile  about  610  B.  C,  but  it  was  a  failure.  Trajan  was 
more  determined,  his  efforts  being  crowned  with  success. 
Doubtless  he  profited  by  Pharaoh's  mistakes.  One 
thing  is  sure,  and  that  is  that  M.  de  Lesseps  improved 
upon  the  ideas  advanced  by  both  Pharaoh  and  Trajan, 
and  scored  a  triumph  which  places  him  among  men  of 
genius  of  the  nineteenth  century.  His  work  was  begun 
in  1856  and  completed  November  16,  1869,  utilizing  thir- 
teen years — a  number  that  forebode  ill  to  the  enterprise ; 
but,  in  spite  of  that  horrid  thirteen,  Suez  stock  is  at  a 
premium. 

We  have  just  passed  five  Russian  battle-ships  and 
first-class  cruisers,  several  torpedo-destroyers,  all  steam- 
ing for  Chinese  and  Japanese  waters,  it  is  supposed.  The 
British  officers  aboard  this  ship  prophesy  that  such  an 
armament  pushing  into  the  Far  East  may  mean  war 
sooner  or  later,  and  expect  to  see  a  like  number  of  Brit- 
ish battle-ships  and  torpedo-destroyers  on  their  way  to 
the  front  before  this  ship  passes  Gibraltar.  Having  seen 
many  of  the  world's  battle-ships,  armored  cruisers,  and 
torpedo-destroyers  all  the  way  from  Yokohama  to  Port 
Said,  I  am  almost  ready  to  say  I  am  sick  of  the  whole 
display  of  man-killing  machines.  If  we  must  spend  bil- 
lions on  our  army  and  navy  because  we  have  a  sort  of 
a  fatherly  relation  over  Cuba  and  the  Philippines,  the 
sooner  we  get  rid  of  them  the  better.  To  send  that  fleet 
of  war  vessels  through  the  canal  cost  Russia  at  least 
$50,000.  How  does  it  appeal  to  you  to  see  the  Russian 
government  pay  $50,000  out  in  cold  cash  to  steam  her 
engines  of  destruction  less  than  a  hundred  miles,  and 
then  think  about  our  having  given  flour  and  meat  by  the 


2i6  Around  the  World. 

shipload,  besides  considerable  cash,  in  order  to  help  Rus- 
sia's starving-,  famine-stricken  peasantry?  To  me  it 
seems  that  such  a  record  would  invite  another  famine. 
Far-away  possessions  are  questionable  property,  and  the 
sooner  the  nations  learn  it  the  better.  People  who  are 
managed  at  the  point  of  a  cannon,  and  are  not  in  sym- 
pathy with  their  rulers,  should  be  classed  as  convicts 
ruled  by  force.  Where  such  conditions  exist,  rebellions 
may  be  hourly  expected  regardless  of  the  nature  of  the 
mother  country.  Xo  advanced  Western  nation  can  leg- 
islate and  establish  ideals  for  an  Eastern  people  without 
friction  in  tbe  application. 

Port  Said  is  reached.  Newspapers  are  in  great  de- 
mand. We  have  been  two  weeks  on  the  sea  without  news 
of  the  world.  We  are  interested  about  the  naval  display. 
Reports  are  in  the  air  that  Russia  has  her  eye  on  Korea, 
and  proposes  to  bluff  Japan. 

I  went  ashore  and  was  detained  in  the  quarantine  sta- 
tion till  my  clothes  could  be  disinfected  as  I  bad  come 
from  a  plague  port.  I  faced  a  boiler  about  four  and  one- 
half  by  nine  feet  in  size.  The  huge  door  was  opened, 
and  into  it  my  clothing  went,  the  engine  was  started, 
and  I  was  nervous  lest  I  would  see  them  again  as  tat- 
tered carpet-rags.  Before  I  had  decided  to  send  for  a 
tailor  and  outfitter,  the  engine  ceased  its  murmur,  and 
my  restlessness  ceased  when  the  door  opened,  and  there 
lay  my  equipment  none  the  worse  for  its  siege. 

Desiring  to  see  Port  Said,  with  a  population  estimated 
as  high  as  thirty-seven  thousand,  I  made  a  circuit  of  the 
city  after  passing  the  customs  officials  who  charged  me 
seventeen  pence  (34  cents)  for  the  privilege  of  asking 
me  a  few  questions. 

While  I  admit  that  this  city  has  a  number  of  as  good 
people  as  the  world  possesses,  I  must  confess  that  I  be- 


Bombay  to  Port  Said.  2i7 

lieve  it  is  the  most  abominable,  immoral,  blasphemous, 
and  unrighteous  city  in  my  knowledge.  I  am  not  bellig- 
erent, but  twice  I  raised  my  cane  (presented  to  me  at 
Cawnpore,  India,  cut  from  the  Himalayas),  and  twice 
the  bluff  worked.  The  Turks  and  Arabs  are  not  so  hard 
to  manage  as  I  had  imagined.  Had  my  prescription  not 
worked,  I  might  have  been  prepared  to  be  sent  home  in 
sections.  Being  a  six-footer,  I  was  doubtless  ranked  as 
a  fighter,  having  hailed  from  a  nation  that  gave  Spain's 
navy  an  everlasting  ducking.  My  rule  is  to  say  some- 
thing good  about  a  person  or  keep  mum,  but  Port  Said 
is  enough  to  drive  rules  into  the  jungles.  If  the  people 
who  lived  here  four  thousand  years  ago  were  anything 
like  these,  I  can  easily  muster  a  shade  of  sympathy  for 
Moses  who  broke  all  the  commandments  at  one  time  on 
account  of  being  provoked  by  them. 


XVI. 
EGYPT. 

PORT    SAID   TO    CAIRO NILE   RIVER — THE    PYRAMIDS — VISIT 

TO  HELIOPOLIS,  THE  CITY  OF  THE  SUN MEMPHIS  THE 

MOST  ANCIENT  CITY — CAMEL-TRIP  TO  PETRIFIED  FOR- 
EST —  ARCHAEOLOGICAL  SPECIMENS  —  SERPENT  DWELL- 
ING AMONG   SARCOPHAGI. 

Having  escaped  from  Port  Said  without  being  killed 
or  wounded,  I  felt  like  rejoicing.  As  Cairo  was  the  ob- 
jective point,  I  booked  for  that  city,  leaving  Port  Said 
at  9.20  A.  M.  As  the  train  sped  southward  many  a  man 
was  passed,  each  en  route  to  the  city  of  thugs,  armed  with 
an  antiquated  rifle  or  shotgun,  which  was  swung  from  his 
shoulder  by  straps,  or  carried  at  shoulder  arms  as  if  ready 
for  a  fight.  The  track  is  alongside  the  great  canal  all  the 
way  to  Ismailia,  and  is  quite  level,  with  few  curves ;  in 
fact,  a  baseball  twirler  would  be  disappointed  if  he  should 
come  here  in  search  of  sample  copy  curves.  One  hour 
was  taken  at  Ismailia  for  lunch,  and  the  journey  toward 
Cairo  resumed.  The  scenes  presented  are  a  reproduction 
of  India,  except  that  there  are  sixteen  camels  and  donkeys 
here  to  one  in  India.  So  numerous  are  those  beautiful  (  ?) 
animals  that  one  can  not  open  his  eyes  without  one  is 
in  sight.  After  passing  Zagazig  and  other  cities  whose 
names  would  give  a  person  not  familiar  with  them  the 
lockjaw  at  every  attempt  to  pronounce  them,  we  reached 
Cairo,  the  Camel   City,  or  City  of  Mosques,   where  the 

21S 


Egypt.  219 

first  foreign  mail  in  two  months  awaited  my  arrival.  I 
had  traveled  more  than  twenty-two  thousand  miles,  and 
my  disconsolate,  weary  self  needed  the  refreshing  that 
came  as  a  mighty  inundation  in  those  letters. 

Egypt  has  a  population  of  ahont  seven  millions,  the 
greater  number  of  whom  are  descendants  of  the  original 
inhabitants,  who  antedated  the  coming  of  Jacob  (Israel) 
several  thousand  years.  The  Nomad  Bedouins  number 
about  300,000;  Turks,  about  16,000;  Greeks,  about  40,- 
000;  Italians,  about  18,000;  French,  16,000;  and  16.000 
English,  Austrians,  and  Germans.  Cotton  is  the  chief 
article  of  export,  though  wheat  and  rice  are  also  items 
in  the  export  list.  There  are  about  twelve  hundred  miles 
of  railroad,  and  canals  are  everywhere  among  the  low- 
lands along  the  Nile.  It  was  a  surprise  to  me  to  note 
that  the  Nile  has  only  a  very  narrow  strip  of  land  on  each 
side  that  can  be  cultivated.  The  remainder  is  desert 
with  the  exception  of  a  few  small  oases.  I  followed  the 
Nile  seven  hundred  and  thirty  miles  south  from  Alex- 
andria, and  am  safe  in  asserting  that,  below  the  Delta 
country,  one  can  see  across  the  green  belt  from  the  eastern 
sand  dunes  to  the  western  sand-parched  Saharas.  This 
narrow  belt  of  greenery  follows  the  Nile,  affording  the 
food  supply.  So  valuable  is  this  narrow  belt  that  much 
of  it  rents  at  from  $20  to  $30  per  acre  annually. 

Having  arrived  in  Cairo  at  five  o'clock  in  the  evening, 
I  was  impatient  for  the  morrow's  sun,  as  I  had  read  and 
dreamed  of  the  Pyramids  until  anxiety  was  at  the  climax. 
To  think  of  being  within  seven  miles  of  the  greatest 
wonder  of  the  world,  and  the  only  one  of  the  original 
seven  wonders  that  remains  to  this  day.  and  be  forced 
to  wait  till  morning  to  behold  it  was  trying  to  me.  I 
managed  to  sleep  a  part  of  the  night,  though  it  was  a 
battle,  and  hastened  toward  the  Egyptian  giants'  head- 


220  Around  the  World. 

quarters  soon  after  Aurora's  horsemen  drove  in  sight. 
Crossing  the  Nile  bridge,  I  entered  the  tram  which  runs 
to  the  Pyramid  hourly  in  the  forenoon  and  every  half 
hour  in  the  afternoon,  requiring  about  forty  minutes  in 
each  direction,  charge  of  three  piasters  (15  cents)  for  the 
round  trip.  The  distance  is  said  to  be  seven  miles.  Ap- 
proaching the  Pyramid,  I  was  disappointed ;  but  on  my 
arrival,  and  walking  up  to  the  base,  and  casting  my  eyes 
toward  its  summit,  I  was  astonished,  bewildered  with  the 
proportions  of  the  giant.  The  base-line  is  seven  hundred 
and  thirty-two  and  its  perpendicular  height  is  four  hun- 
dred and  sixty  feet,  and  it  is  said  to  cover  thirteen  acres 
of  ground.  No  picture  can  do  the  Pyramid  justice.  Its 
immensity,  to  be  appreciated  or  even  imagined,  must  be 
seen.  History  freely  pronounces  it  the  most  stupendous 
structure  erected  by  the  hand  of  man  in  all  the  world. 
Its  building  antedates  history.  Herodotus,  the  father  of 
history,  came  here  and  picked  up  every  available  thread 
of  tradition  lingering  in  the  minds  of  the  people,  and 
stated  that  it  was  built  by  a  prehistoric  race,  requiring 
one  hundred  thousand  men  ten  years  in  getting  the  ma- 
terials, and  twenty  additional  years  to  erect  this  wonder 
of  the  world.  Some  assert  that  it  was  built  uncounted 
years  before  the  Flood.  Herodotus  assigned  it  to  King 
Cheops,  who,  it  is  asserted,  reigned  over  Egypt  4200 
P>.  C.  When  Egyptologists  differ  at  least  twenty-two 
centuries  in  their  chronological  statements,  one  must  be 
on  his  guard  when  any  date  whatever  is  even  suggested. 
Other  writers,  such  as  Diodorus  and  Pliny,  try  to  un- 
ravel the  mystery,  but  failure  perches  upon  their  every 
attempt. 

Bunsen  claims  that  Egypt  had  enjoyed  at  least  six 
thousand  seven  hundred  years  of  prosperity  before  the 
pyramid   building   was   begun.      Piozzi    Smith,   a   noted 


2 

I 


-r 


Egypt.  221 

Egyptologist,  thought  that  the  great  Pyramid  was  the 
first  one  reared  of  the  family  of  Pyramids  numbering 
over  thirty,  and  that  it  was  undertaken  immediately  after 
the  migration  into  Egypt  from  the  plains  of  Shinar  under 
Divine  guidance,  and  sets  the  date  at  2170  B.  C,  when 
the  Pleiades  pointed  exactly  at  the  entrance  passage.  The 
Pyramid  was  built  to  be  used  as  a  tomb.  About  820 
A.  D.  an  entrance  was  forced  into  the  Pyramid,  discover- 
ing to  the  world  two  large  chambers.  The  entrance  is 
about  forty  feet  from  the  base  of  the  northern  side,  and 
leads  through  a  massive  vaulted  gallery  to  a  subterranean 
chamber  three  hundred  and  forty-seven  feet  from  the 
entrance,  and  about  ninety  feet  below  the  base  of  the 
Pyramid.  This  large  chamber  is  forty-six  by  twenty- 
seven  feet  and  eleven  feet  in  height.  It  is  believed  that 
this  chamber  was  constructed  to  deceive  people  and 
cause  them  to  think  it  the  real  resting-place  of  the  king. 
But  about  sixty  feet  from  the  entrance  an  upward  pas- 
sage begins,  leading  towards  the  center  of  the  Pyramid. 
After  we  followed  this  about  120  feet,  we  came  to  a  place 
called  the  Great  Gallery,  where  a  well  or  shaft  more 
than  100  feet  deep  leads  down  to  the  subterranean  cham- 
ber. Just  before  reaching  the  Great  Gallery  we  turned 
off  on  a  passage  no  feet  in  length,  leading  into  the 
Queen's  Chamber,  which  is  20  feet  high  and  18  by  17  in 
length  and  breadth.  Returning  to  the  passage-way  we 
entered  the  Great  Gallery,  which  is  7  feet  wide,  28  feet 
high,  and  150  feet  long,  and  leads  upward  to  the  King's 
Chamber,  the  largest,  being  34  by  17  by  19  feet.  In  the 
King's  Chamber  is  a  sarcophagus  cut  out  of  red  sand- 
stone. The  lid  has  been  taken  away  by  vandals  if  one 
ever  existed.  Many  urge  that  this  piece  of  red  sandstone 
was  not  carved  to  be  used  as  a  sarcophagus,  but  as  a 


2  22  Around  the  World. 

standard  of  measure  which  should  be  handed  down  to  all 
time,  being  the  exact  size  of  the  laver  of  the  Hebrews. 
Above  the  King's  Chamber  are  two  smaller  rooms,  which 
I  did  not  visit,  as  they  afford  no  interest.  The  stone  in 
the  Great  Gallery  is  so  smoothly  polished  that  one  can 
stand  upright  only  with  great  difficulty.  It  is  really  not 
safe  to  make  the  trip  with  shoes,  so  slippery  is  the  foot- 
ing, and  in  places  to  slip  means  severe  bruises  if  not 
death  ;  yet  people  continue  to  wear  their  shoes  on  that 
crawling,  slippery,  climbing,  irksome  trip.  Wind  Cave, 
Mammoth  Cave,  and  the  Cave  of  the  Winds  are  easily 
visited  compared  with  the  interior  of  the  Great  Pyramid. 
Until  those  toe-holds  in  the  smooth,  steep  rock  are  deep- 
ened, I  shall  pronounce  it  dangerous  to  make  the  tour 
of  the  interior,  even  if  you  do  have  two  Arabs  to  help 
you,  whose  charge  is  two  shillings. 

But  of  all  trips  requiring  strength,  a  level  head,  and 
endurance,  that  to  the  top  of  the  Great  Pyramid  is  easily 
pre-eminent.  For  two  Arab  helpers  a  charge  of  two 
shillings  is  made,  and  none  but  the  strong  should  attempt 
the  climb.  Should  one  become  dizzy  en  route  to  the 
summit,  a  fall  and  the  smashing  of  every  bone  is  certain. 
When  about  half  way  up  I  looked  down  to  the  ground, 
and  it  seemed  that  the  earth  was  fading  from  view,  and 
when  I  turned  my  eyes  toward  the  summit  it  appeared 
that  the  ascent  had  only  begun,  so  deceiving  are  the  sur- 
roundings. The  slant  height,  or  hypotenuse,  is  said  to  be 
610  feet.  I  had  ascended  the  Washington  Monument 
500  feet  in  the  elevator,  and  was  almost  afraid  to  look  out 
of  the  portals  at  that  dizzy  height  as  the  scene  bewildered, 
but  here  I  was  460  feet  above  the  level  of  the  ground, 
and  610  feet  from  the  starting  point  and  on  the  outside 
of  the  world's  greatest  wonder,  which  made  the  cold 
chills  creep  from  the  alpha  to  the  omega  of  my  frame- 


Egypt.  2  23 

work  on  account  of  the  extreme  danger  incident  to  this 
aerial   situation. 

What  if  a  treacherous  Arab  would  push  you  off? 
What  if  you  should  slip  or  become  dizzy  or  suffer  sun- 
stroke? In  either  case  a  person  would  plunge  downward 
from  this  Alpine  height,  leaving  a  pound  of  flesh  on  each 
craggy  rock,  so  that  when  the  base  is  reached  a  hungry 
vulture  would  probably  turn  away  from  the  skinned,  flesh- 
less  skeleton  for  a  sight  guaranteeing  a  more  abundant 
repast. 

There  is  no  other  site  on  earth  that  has  seen  more 
historic  events  than  the  summit  of  this  Pyramid,  unless 
it  be  Jerusalem  itself.  How  unutterably  impressive  the 
scene  becomes  as  I  recall  before  the  mind's  eye  the  vari- 
ous chapters  of  history  that  have  had  their  setting  right 
here  before  me !  Ancient  greatness  and  power  are  here 
represented  at  their  climax.  Yonder  is  the  Nile,  stretch- 
ing itself  along  like  a  mighty  silvery  serpent  in  a  sinuous 
bed  of  luxuriant  greenery.  It  is  the  Nile  of  history; 
the  river  in  which  Cleopatra  was  rowed  in  a  vessel  whose 
several  parts  were  of  beaten  gold,  and  her  coy  lover  lay 
at  her  feet  captured  by  the  irresistible  power  of  her 
beauty.  Yonder  is  the  whole  line  of  pyramids  standing 
like  colossal  giants  across  the  desert  sands,  each  a  secret 
unto  itself.  There  is  Cairo  with  its  multitude  of  tower- 
ing mosques,  minarets,  and  steeples,  and  a  motley  people 
numbering  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  million. 

Beyond  this  mysterious  city,  and  to  one  side,  is  the 
site  of  Heliopolis,  known  as  the  "City  of  the  Sun,"  called 
On  by  Moses  in  the  forty-fifth  verse  of  the  forty-first 
chapter  of  Genesis.  Its  towering  obelisk  remains  as  a 
token  of  its  former  glory.  Ages  sweep  by ;  Memphis 
rises  and  falls ;  temples,  towers,  palaces,  obelisks  fade 
from  sight  and  are  forgotten  till  dug  from  hiding  by  the 


224 


Around  the  World. 


excavator's  shovel.  I  can  see  mighty  kings  sweep  along 
before  this  giant  work  of  man,  and  swear  by  the  Pyramids 
that  they  will  conquer  or  die ;  they,  too,  fade  away,  and 
time  crushes  them  with  her  revengeful  hand. 

Another  vision  flashes  before  the  mind ;  it  presents  a 
band  of  Ishmaelitish  traders ;  their  camels  bear  "spices, 
balm,  and  myrrh,"  which  they  trade  for  corn.  In  the 
company  I  see  a  boy  who  had  been  ill-treated  by  his  sev- 
eral brothers.  That  boy  is  to  change  a  nation ;  he  is  to 
be  the  hero  of  Bible  history.  He  is  left,  and  the  caravan 
returns  laden  with  goods.  Famine  stalks  forth,  and  a 
procession  of  donkeys  with  ten  young  men  comes  wind- 
ing its  circuitous  way  from  yonder  highlands.  They  ex- 
change money  for  corn ;  they  return  home,  and  come 
again  with  their  silvery  gray  father,  whose  heart  is  al- 
most breaking.  He  settles  here.  The  number  increases 
until  Israel  waxes  strong. 

The  people  are  slaves  and  snffer  untold  wrongs. 
Down  yonder  on  the  island  of  Rhodda  a  babe  is  found  in 
the  rushes  who  is  destined  to  lead  the  downtrodden  hosts 
on  to  victory.  Bricks  without  straw  is  part  of  the  thread 
that  breaks  the  camel's  back  ;  the  start  is  made ;  the  king, 
whose  heart  is  hardened,  follows.  The  Red  Sea  divides, 
and  Moses  leads  his  people  to  the  promised  land,  while 
the  crushing  of  chariots  in  a  complete  overthrow  closes 
the  chapter. 

A  new  era  dawns.  Persian  hordes,  Macedonian 
armies,  Roman  legions  and  turbaned  Turks,  sweep  into 
sight  with  thundering  tramp,  and  the  roar  of  a  thousand 
battles  rises  out  of  the  dust  of  centuries  till  prophecy  is 
fulfilled.  Listen !  "There  shall  be  no  more  a  prince  in 
Egypt,  neither  shall  it  exalt  itself  any  more  above  the 
nations ;  for  I  will  diminish  them,  that  they  shall  no  more 


Egypt.  225 

rule  over  the  nations."'  From  the  summit  of  this  monster, 
I  have  impressed  upon  me  the  solution  of  the  world 
problem  ;  I  hear,  or  seem  to  hear,  the  reason  for  all  this 
decay;  I  see  what  the  trouble  is  with  Egypt,  with  India. 
China,  and  Japan.  It  is  this :  The  nation  that  forgets 
God  is  doomed. 

Xations,  write  that  sentence  upon  your  banners. 
Hang  it  as  frontlets  between  your  eyes.  "Blessed  is  the 
nation  whose  God  is  the  Lord."  "Thou  shalt  have  no 
other  gods  before  me,"  is  a  commandment  smashed  by  a 
multiplication  of  gods.  I  have  seen  acres  of  Egyptian 
gods  during  the  past  week,  and  can  scarcely  look  about 
me  without   seeing   evidences   of   Scripture's   fulfillment. 

Desiring  to  visit  the  site  of  Heliopolis,  the  Oxford 
of  old  Egypt,  where  once  stood  the  great  Temple  of  the 
Sun,  I  went  by  train  to  Matarieh,  about  seven  miles  from 
Cairo,  where  I  hired  a  donkey  for  three  piasters  to  ride 
to  the  site,  scarcely  a  mile  beyond.  The  donkey  was 
named  Pharaoh,  and  his  untold  stubbornness  was  prima 
facie  evidence  that  he  was  really  some  relation  to  his 
namesake. 

It  was  here  at  Heliopolis,  the  City  of  the  Sun.  that 
General  Kleber  defeated  the  Turks  in  1800.  But  long 
before  this  a  mighty  city  covered  the  plain.  Here  flour- 
ished the  greatest  college  of  which  Egypt  ever  boasted ; 
greater  was  it  by  far  than  the  college  now  in  full  blast 
at  Cairo  with  two  thousand  students,  all  sitting  upon  the 
floor,  studying  only  the  Koran,  the  Mohammedan  Bible. 
At  this  city  Plato  and  Herodotus  studied  logic,  phi- 
losophy, and  history ;  for  at  that  time  Egypt  surpassed 
Greece  in  learning.  Here  lived  the  noted  astronomer, 
Dionysius,  who  recorded  having  observed  the  darkness 
that  covered  the  sacrifice  on  Calvary  on  that  historic  day. 
15 


226  Around  the  World. 

Josephus  states  that  On  (or  Heliopolis,  its  Greek  name) 
was  the  city  given  to  Jacob  for  his  residence  when  he 
first  came  to  Egypt. 

Here  is  the  Virgin's  tree,  a  sycamore,  under  which, 
tradition  declares,  the  Holy  Family  rested  when  driven 
into  Egypt  by  a  threatening  king.  The  tree  is  inclosed 
to  prevent  visitors  from  hacking  it  to  pieces.  I  entered, 
with  the  consent  of  the  guard  stationed  at  the  gate,  and 
was  given  a  small  piece  of  the  sacred  tree. 

Here  is  what  is  called  the  miraculous  fountain,  be- 
cause it  is  said  to  have  been  salty  once,  but  has  been 
perfect  ever  since  the  Virgin  Mary  bathed  her  infant  in 
its  waters.  Here  Cleopatra  transplanted  the  balsams  of 
Judea,  which  produced  the  celebrated  balm  of  Gilead, 
and  thereby  became  famous.  In  Genesis  xli,  45,  Joseph 
is  mentioned  as  having  been  married  here.  In  Jeremiah 
xliii,  13,  Heliopolis  is  called  the  City  of  Bethshemish, 
whose  images  shall  be  broken.  The  twelfth  verse  states, 
"I  will  kindle  a  fire  in  the  houses  of  the  gods  of  Egypt," 
and  it  has  been  done.  Nothing  but  the  inclosure  of  the 
temple  and  an  obelisk  of  Osertosen  I  remains  to  tell  the 
story.  This  obelisk  stands  sixty-eight  feet  in  height,  and 
the  city  is  plowed  over.  The  story  of  the  decadence  of 
Heliopolis  is  unknown.  When  Strabo  came,  he  declared 
that  he  found  ruins  only,  and  what  caused  its  ruin  he 
declareth  not.  If  you  read  Ezekiel  xxx,  17,  and  Jeremiah 
xliii,  13,  you  will  learn  why  Heliopolis  is  no  more. 

These  dead  cities  and  nations  show  that  destruction 
awaits  men  and  nations  that  defy  or  attempt  to  outrun 
the  living  God. 

Thebes,  where  are  your  hundred  gates,  horsemen, 
and  cars,  mentioned  by  the  poet?  What  caused  you  to 
lose  your  grasp  upon  a  thousand  States,  which  Homer 


Egypt.  227 

suggests  were  once  yours?     Let  the  poet  of  the  Greeks 
speak : 

"Not  all  proud  Thebes'  unrivaled  walls  contain 
The  world's  great  empress  on  the  Egyptian  plain, 
That  spreads  her  conquests  o'er  a  thousand  States, 
And  pours  her  heroes  through  a  hundred  gates; 
Two  hundred  horsemen,  and  two  hundred  cars, 
From  each  wide  portal  issuing  to  the  wars." 

The  grandeur  and  splendor  once  evinced  by  proud. 
unrivaled  Thebes,  so  entrancing  to  Homer  that  it  indel- 
libly  frescoed  itself  upon  his  mind,  has  flown,  and  in  its 
departure  has  left  wreck,  ruin,  decay,  and  almost  total 
annihilation  as  vestiges  of  its  former  greatness. 

"The  Lord  of  hosts,  the  God  of  Israel,  saith  :  Behold, 
I  will  punish  the  multitude  of  No  [Thebes]  and  their 
kings."  (Jeremiah  xlvi,  25.)  "No  [Thebes]  shall  be 
rent  asunder."      (Ezekiel  xxx,  16.) 

History  follows  as  the  narrator  of  prophecy  fulfilled. 

After  scaling  the  Great  Pyramid  and  finishing  the 
trip  through  its  interior,  I  completed  arrangements  for 
a  camel  at  a  charge  of  six  shillings  for  a  long  trip  out 
in  the  Sahara  Desert  to  the  petrified  forest  so  called, 
but  I  wrould  call  it  a  petrified  tree  instead.  Why  dignify 
one  tree,  or  at  most  half  a  dozen  trees,  with  the  name 
"forest?"  I  did  not  care  so  much  for  the  petrifaction  so 
apparent  away  out  in  the  desert  as  for  the  trip  itself.  I 
had  often  wondered  how  it  would  be  to  ride  a  long- 
legged,  crooked-necked  camel  over  the  scorching  Sahara 
sands  as  a  Bedouin,  and  if  I  ever  had  enough  of  any  one 
thing  in  my  life  it  was  that  riding.  If  I  had  consulted 
my  own  feelings  I  would  have  preferred  to  walk  and 
carry  the  camel,  and  probably  would  if  I  had  been  strong 
enough ;  but  since  I  was  out  for  experience  I  decided 
to  ride  the  entire  journey  or  die  in  the  attempt,  even  if 


228  Around  the  World. 

every  bone  in  my  anatomy  ached.  My  camel  was  named 
Rameses,  and  if  he  was  not  in  the  ark,  I  rest  assured 
that  his  ancestors  were,  his  age  being  very  much  in  evi- 
dence, though  he  could  rise  from  the  turtle  posture  almost 
as  quickly  as  the  upspring  of  a  rabbit,  thereby  requiring 
a  person  to  be  very  active  or  the  lantern-jawed  desert 
traveler  would  be  off  without  his  passenger.  Of  course 
we  were  wise  enough  to  take  our  lunch  along,  as  those 
desert  wastes  produce  nothing. 

A  visit  to  old  Cairo  is  not  without  interest,  but  old 
Cairo  is  a  reproduction  of  the  old  cities  of  India.  He 
who  would  see  only  the  native  quarters  of  old  Indian 
cities  might  stop  off  here  and  save  a  few  thousand  miles 
of  his  journey. 

Cairo's  mosques  are  built  on  a  small  scale  compared 
with  those  of  India.  Those  of  India  are  more  beautiful, 
more  costly,  and  much  larger,  the  finest  one  here  being 
at  the  citadel,  built  by  Mohammed  AH  in  1829,  and  pat- 
terned after  those  at  Constantinople.  The  mosques  of 
Cairo  are  the  leading  sights  of  the  city.  The  Coptic 
church  in  old  Cairo  is  interesting  because  it  is  the  tra- 
ditional site  where  the  Virgin  took  refuge,  for  a  while  at 
least,  when  the  innocent  children  were  being  massacred 
at  Bethlehem.  The  crypt  of  the  church,  containing  the 
identical  spot,  is  twenty-nine  hundred  years  old,  the  spot 
occupied  by  the  sacred  ones  being  marked  with  a  cross. 
The  citadel  is  much  sought  by  visitors  because  of  its 
high,  commanding  position  affording  a  splendid  view  of 
the  city,  and  also  because  four  hundred  and  fifty  Mame- 
lukes were  slain  here ;  only  one,  Emin  Bey,  escaped  by 
leaping  his  horse  from  the  towering  battlement,  crushing 
his  horse,  but  saving  himself. 

Among  the  objects  of  interest  in  and  about  Cairo 
which  I  shall  not  take  the  space  to  describe  are :  The 


o 


> 


Egypt.  229 

Ezbekieh  Gardens  in  the  center  of  Cairo;  the  bazaars 
on  Mousky  Street ;  the  university ;  hundreds  of  mosques ; 
the  tombs  of  the  khalifs  and  Mamelukes;  the  great  aque- 
duct in  old  Cairo ;  Rhodda  Island,  reached  by  train,  where 
the  Nilometer  is  located ;  and  Moses'  tree,  where  Moses 
is  supposed  to  have  been  found  in  the  rushes  along  the 
Nile.  The  museum,  where  are  exhibited  the  mummies, 
sarcophagi,  gods,  and  relics  of  ancient  Egyptians,  is 
opened  daily  except  Mondays,  an  admission  fee  of  five 
piasters  being  charged  at  present.  It  contains  probably 
the  finest  collection  of  Egyptian  antiquities  extant,  the 
building  itself  having  cost  $1,000,000.  The  ostrich  farm 
near  Heliopolis  contains  about  eight  hundred  birds,  and 
is  a  favorite  Mecca  for  the  ladies. 

Next  to  the  Pyramids  the  Sphinx  attracts  the  atten- 
tion of  every  traveler.  It  is  the  most  lonesome,  bachelor- 
like object  you  ever  saw.  All  alone,  it  sits  about  five 
hundred  yards  from  the  Great  Pyramid.  It  is  called  by 
the  Arabs  "the  father  of  terror,  or  immensity."  It  is 
supposed  to  be  older  than  the  oldest  Pyramid,  and  is 
carved  from  the  adamantine  rock.  Its  paws  are  fifty  feet 
in  length  ;  its  total  length  is  given  as  one  hundred  and 
forty  feet,  but  those  feet  seem  short  when  the  Sphinx 
is  compared  with  the  Pyramids.  Some  idea  of  the  size 
of  this  fellow  may  be  gathered  when  you  imagine  him  to 
be  thirty  feet  from  brow  to  chin  and  fourteen  feet  across 
the  brow.  A  stone  discovered  by  Mariette  Bey,  now  in 
the  museum  at  Cairo,  contains  the  proof  that  the  Sphinx 
antedates  the  Pyramids. 

Speaking  of  the  Sphinx,  Kinglake  said :  "Laugh  and 
mock  if  you  will  at  the  worship  of  stone  idols ;  but  mark 
ye  this,  ye  breakers  of  images,  that  in  one  regard  the 
stone  idol  bears  awful  semblance  of  Deity — unchange- 
ableness  in  the  midst  of  change — the  same  will  and  in- 


230  Around  the  World. 

tent,  for  ever  and  ever  inexorable.  Upon  ancient  dy- 
nasties of  Ethiopian  and  Egyptian  kings ;  upon  Greek 
and  Roman ;  upon  Arab  and  Ottoman  conquerors ;  upon 
Napoleon,  dreaming  of  an  Eastern  Empire ;  upon  battle 
and  pestilence ;  upon  the  ceaseless  misery  of  the  Egyptian 
race;  upon  keen-eyed  travelers;  upon  Herodotus  yester- 
day and  Warburton  to-day ;  upon  all,  and  more,  this  un- 
worldly Sphinx  has  watched  like  a  providence,  with  the 
same  earnest  eyes  and  the  same  tranquil  mien  ;  and  we 
shall  die  and  Islam  (Mohammedanism)  shall  wither 
away,  and  still  that  sleepless  rock  will  be  watching  and 
watching  the  works  of  a  new  busy  race,  with  those  same 
sad,  earnest  eyes  and  the  same  tranquil  mien  everlasting. 
You  dare  not  mock  at  the  Sphinx." 

I  was  not  impressed  so  much  with  the  Sphinx.  To 
me  it  is  not  so  inspiring  as  Mr.  Kinglake  suggests;  nor 
is  it  commanding,  for  it  sits  in  a  depression.  AYhile  the 
earth's  crust  was  forming,  a  colossal  bowlder,  or  rather  a 
stupendous  stratified  rock,  was  upheaved.  The  ancients 
chose  it  as  an  object  out  of  which  to  sculpture  for  them- 
selves an  unusually  large  god.  So,  to  my  mind,  the 
Sphinx  is  easily  accounted  for;  but  the  Great  Pyramid 
staggers  the  mind  in  every  attempt  to  account  for  it.  The 
other  Pyramids,  which  stretch  out  across  the  desert  like 
huge  haystacks,  are  smaller  than  the  one  considered,  so 
I  will  not  devote  space  to  them. 

Of  unusual  interest  to  every  student  of  history  is 
Memphis,  one  of  the  oldest  cities  of  the  world,  a  city 
that  arose,  flourished,  and  fell  before  history  was  born 
to  record  her  glory.  Much  has  been  learned  concerning 
the  ancient  city  of  Memphis  through  its  necropolis  known 
as  Sakkarah.  The  Egyptologist  Bey  says :  "The  history 
of  Memphis  is  to  a  great  extent  the  history  of  Heliopolis. 
Already  founded  under  the  most  ancient  kings,  flourishing 


X 

X 

5 
v 


> 


v. 

V 


z 


Egypt.  231 

under  the  great  pyramid-building  fourth  dynasty,  neg- 
lected and  abandoned  under  the  eleventh,  twelfth,  and 
thirteenth  dynasties, '  Memphis,  like  Egypt  itself,  arose 
to  new  life  when  the  kings  of  the  eighteenth  dynasty 
succeeded  in  clearing  the  soil  of  Egypt  of  its  invaders. 
Taken  and  retaken  by  turns,  under  Assyrian,  Ethiopian, 
and  Persian  dynasties,  Memphis  still  preserved,  under  the 
Greeks,  a  portion  of  its  ancient  splendor,  although  when 
Strabo  came  it  was  already  deserted.  But  the  time  was 
coming  when  of  Memphis  nothing  but  ruins  should  re- 
main, and  when  the  somber  menaces  of  Jeremiah  should 
be  fulfilled  to  the  letter :  'O,  daughter  of  Egypt,  make 
ready  that  which  can  serve  thee  in  thy  captivity,  because 
Memphis  shall  become  a  desert ;  she  shall  be  forsaken 
and  become  uninhabitable.' '  If  ever  prophecy  was  ful- 
filled, this  is  a  genuine  case  of  it. 

I  took  a  train  fifteen  miles  out  to  Bedreshayn,  where 
I  hired  a  donkey  and  rode  over  to  the  ruins  of  Memphis, 
which  lie  scarcely  three  miles  from  the  Bedreshayn  sta- 
tion. I  found  mounds,  fragments  of  buildings,  walls, 
broken  columns,  and  wreckage  everywhere  as  the  only 
vestiges  of  that  historic  city  which  for  ages  experienced 
such  a  tremendous  influence  over  the  affairs  of  the  world. 
I  rode  my  donkey  through  streets  so  narrow  that  no 
donkey  could  turn  around  ;  I  rode  into  houses  where  once 
all  was  happiness,  splendor,  and  magnificence ;  I  rode  up 
to  a  house  on  the  accumulated  dirt  of  centuries,  dirt 
piled  up  until  the  ceiling  was  on  a  level  with  the  sur- 
rounding country,  and  my  steed  walked  over  the  wall 
and  down  into  a  parlor  or  kitchen  with  perfect  ease.  This 
sight  shocked  me  more  than  the  sight  of  the  Great  Pyra- 
mid. To  have  the  experience  of  riding  over  a  city  so 
historic  as  Memphis,  and  at  the  same  time  to  apply  the 
words  of  Jeremiah  to  the  scene  as  I  went,  was  a  lesson 


232 


Around  the  World. 


that  shall  haunt  me  and  make  me  tenfold  more  brave  in 
hurling  Biblical  philippics  wherever  they  are  needed. 
Heretofore  I  had  read  of  fulfilled  prophecy,  but  here  I 
see  it.  Not  an  inhabitant  is  here,  though  men  are  con- 
stantly employed  in  excavating  for  buried  treasures.  One 
snapshot  at  Memphis  was  at  a  bunch  of  trees  that  have 
grown  fifty  feet  high,  their  roots  in  the  dirt  that  has 
accumulated  directly  over  a  housetop.  The  picture  ought 
to  show  the  house,  the  dirt  over  it,  and  the  tall  trees 
growing  still  higher.  Large  statues  of  Rameses  I  and  II, 
carved  in  the  form  of  towering  giants,  are  still  to  be  seen. 
A  charge  to  see  the  larger  one  is  made. 

I  went  out  prepared  to  spend  the  day,  taking  lunch 
from  Cairo.  At  the  lunch  hour  a  crowd  of  hungry,  fly- 
eyed  boys  gathered  about,  waiting  for  the  scraps ;  hence 
I  ate  very  little.  On  finishing,  my  donkey-driver  took 
charge  of  the  remnants,  and  I  supposed  that  he  would 
eive  the  bovs  what  he  did  not  care  for ;  but.  iust  think 
of  it,  he  made  a  sort  of  an  ugly  growl  as  if  calling  dogs, 
then  threw  the  ragged  scraps  into  the  dirt,  and  those  boys 
flew  after  them,  covering  them  with  filth  and  slime  from 
the  excavations  in  their  efforts  to  get  the  most.  They 
wallowed  and  cuffed  each  other  like  football  elevens, 
rooting  in  the  mud.  Whenever  a  scrap  was  secured,  the 
happy  possessor  quickly  plunged  it  into  his  mouth,  dirt 
and  all,  lest  another  might  wrest  it  from  his  grasp.  Such 
a  sight  upon  the  ruins  of  the  once  proud  capital  of  Egypt 
was  enough  to  make  one  sick  at  heart  and  wonder  why 
a  nation  will,  through  disobedience  and  the  trampling 
of  Divine  jurisprudence,  sow  the  seeds  of  its  own  disin- 
tegration and  destruction. 

Soon  after  my  arrival  in  Cairo  I  met  Mr.  L.  Dow 
Covington,  an  American,  aged  about  forty  years,  who  is 
superintending    Egyptian    antiquarian    excavations,    and 


Egypt.  233 

whose  fame  has  spread  around  the  world.  Through  his 
foresight,  planning,  and  skill  as  an  antiquarian  many  of 
the  secrets  of  the  interior  of  the  Great  Pyramid  have  been 
unlocked.  On  a  wager,  he  slept  six  nights  in  the  sar- 
cophagi of  the  larger  Pyramids,  once  in  each  sarcophagus 
or  tomb,  and  on  the  seventh  night  slept  upon  the  summit 
of  the  Great  Pyramid.  He  took  the  American  flag  with 
him,  and  hoisted  it  so  that  at  daybreak  the  people  at  the 
hotel  sent  the  news  broadcast  that  "America  had  taken 
Egypt  and  had  planted  the  Stars  and  Stripes  upon  the 
Pyramid."  It  is  said  that  no  other  flag  has  ever  floated 
from  that  summit.  He  slept  in  the  tomb  of  the  king, 
wearing  no  clothing  except  a  white  sheet  and  the  Stars 
and  Stripes,  and  he  declares  that  an  apparition  haunted 
him.  A  noted  European  accompanied  him  another  night, 
and  made  a  like  report  as  to  the  visitor.  Trying  to  sleep 
away  back  yonder  in  the  heart  of  that  Pyramid  in  a  cofhn, 
reached  partly  by  crawling  through  a  long,  winding  way, 
constructed  so  as  to  deceive  any  discoverer,  the  tomb 
inhabited  by  bats,  it  is  no  wonder  that  they  saw  appa- 
ritions, as  one  under  such  conditions  would  expect  to 
see  specters,  ghosts,  hobgoblins,  and  a  thousand  appear- 
ances a  thousand-fold  more  uncanny  than  the  headless 
horseman  of  Sleepy  Hollow. 

As  other  people  had  made  splendid  "strikes"  in  dis- 
covering valuables,  Mr.  Covington  began  prospecting. 
A  half  mile  south  of  the  Great  Pyramid  his  iron  rod 
struck  something  solid,  and,  after  probing  in  every  direc- 
tion, he  found  that  a  long  wall  ran  due  north  and  south. 
Keeping  the  knowledge  of  his  find  quietly  to  himself,  he 
secured  from  the  Egyptian  goverrment  a  permit  to  ex- 
cavate for  two  years  on  a  tract  of  land  embracing  the 
desired  spot.  His  right  being  secured,  he  put  a  force  of 
men  to  work,  and  in  one  day  had  unearthed  the  top  of 


234  Around  the  World. 

a  temple  whose  walls  measure  one  hundred  and  eighty  by 
ninety  feet.  Sinking  a  shaft  in  the  center,  the  temple 
was  found  to  average  forty  feet  in  height.  From  the 
work  belonging  to  the  ancient  Egyptians  found  therein, 
experts  pronounce  it  an  edifice  built  during  the  first 
dynasty,  which,  according  to  all  authorities,  was  3600 
B.  C.  at  least,  and  some  place  it  at  5005  B.  C.  It  is  pro- 
nounced the  oldest  temple  unearthed  in  Egypt,  and  hence 
the  oldest  piece  of  architecture  in  the  known  world,  and 
also  the  only  one  of  the  kind  in  the  world.  When  I  ar- 
rived on  the  scene,  he  said:  "You  are  very  fortunate.  I 
have  just  struck  the  tomb.  I  have  just  descended  into  it 
and  returned.  You  go  down,  and  you  will  be  the  second 
person  in  thousands  of  years  to  see  it."  I  quickly  went 
to  the  shaft  in  the  center  of  the  temple,  let  myself  down 
by  use  of  a  rope  fastened  above,  and  by  utilizing  little  toe 
pockets  on  each  side.  In  this  way  I  descended  forty  feet, 
and  entered  the  tomb,  which  I  followed  at  least  seventy- 
five  feet,  using  candles  to  find  the  way.  When  I  returned 
he  said:  "It  is  surely  remarkable  that  two  Americans 
were  to  be  the  first  ones  to  come  here  and  open  this  estab- 
lishment to  the  world  after  centuries  of  silence."  You  see, 
he  is  thoroughly  American. 

I  secured  some  alabaster  fragments  of  dishes  here, 
such  as  were  then  in  use.  I  made  a  discovery  here. 
Examining  the  ground  at  a  point  not  touched  by  the 
spade,  where  it  dipped  over  the  walls  and  roof,  I  noticed 
several  strata.  The  lower  one  consisted  of  clay;  the  next 
sand  and  gravel,  shells,  etc.;  the  next  clay,  then  more 
sand  and  gravel,  indicating  that  this  building  lay  for 
years  under  the  sea,  and  it  is  not  hard  to  believe  or  postu- 
late that  that  sea  was  the  flood  of  the  Bible.  Geology 
teaches  that  those  strata  observable  were  formed  under 
water;  hence,  if  these  postulates  be  true,  we  have  the 


Egypt.  235 

most  wonderful  sight  imaginable,  an  edifice  that  grew 
gray  with  age  untold  years  before  the  great  deluge.  But 
how  came  it  to  be  covered?  Rushing  waters  flowing 
from  a  higher  level  carried  dirt,  mud,  and  rocks,  and 
thus  filled  the  entire  interior,  and  also  buried  it  com- 
pletely, so  that  you  can  now  walk  upon  its  topmost  wall 
from  the  level  of  the  surrounding  terra  firma.  Further 
interest  is  attached  to  this  structure  because  it  is  found 
to  be  built  directly  in  line  with  the  Great  Pyramid. 

While  Mr.  Covington  and  I  were  prowling  about  in 
an  adjacent  subterranean  tomb,  each  carrying  candles, 
I  dug  the  well-preserved  head  of  a  mummy  out  of  the 
dirt.  It  is  pronounced  to  be  an  excellent  specimen.  I 
brought  it  to  my  room,  and  kept  it  two  days,  receiving 
the  congratulations  of  all  to  whom  I  showed  my  find. 
I  learned  that  I  would  encounter  serious  difficulty  in 
passing  the  custom-houses  with  it  unless  I  should  secure 
a  special  permit,  and  even  then  I  was  liable  to  have  it 
stolen  ;  so  I  turned  it  over  to  a  representative  of  a  leading 
American  university,  .who  is  prepared  to  get  it  through 
safely.  It  will  be  given  a  prominent  position  in  the  de- 
partment of  archaeology  with  my  compliments.  I  have 
a  section  of  the  vertebrae,  which  I  hope  to  get  through 
safely.  I  also  secured  a  small  idol.  At  another  point  I 
secured  some  rare  Egyptian  coins,  that  circulated  back 
yonder  in  the  infancy  of  time.  I  have  also  a  few  coins 
direct  from  excavations  about  the  Pyramid,  bearing  the 
inscriptions  of  Diocletian,  Trajan,  and  Constantine,  hav- 
ing circulated  many  centuries  ago. 

Upon  the  section  of  ground  secured  by  Mr.  Covington 
a  number  of  mastabas  have  been  excavated,  some  of  which 
are  very  deep.  His  workmen  (natives)  are  afraid  of  one 
in  particular,  which,  besides  containing  a  few  sarcophagi, 
has  an  occupant,  a  live  snake  about  seven  feet  in  length 


236  Around  the  World. 

and  of  grayish  color.  He,  having  slept  in  the  tombs  as 
described,  has  the  reputation  of  being  fearless,  and  pro- 
posed that  we  pay  this  subterranean  chamber  a  visit,  to 
which  I  assented,  not  desiring  to  be  outdone  by  him.  He, 
with  dare-devil  spirit,  led  the  way,  and  I,  with  throbbing 
heart,  most  reluctantly  followed,  expecting  every  moment 
to  see  the  varmint  as  we  crawled  forward  from  chamber 
to  chamber,  carrying  lighted  candles  and  touching  rem- 
nants of  skeletons  at  each  move  that  had  doubtless  done 
their  part  in  erecting  the  Pyramids  dreamy  cycles  ago ; 
but  no  snake  appeared,  to  accelerate  the  already  rapid 
pulse-beats,  although  a  circuitous  track  was  visible  in  the 
sand,  indicating  that  he  had  recently  drawn  his  slimy 
length  directly  across  our  pathway.  Since  the  cobra 
episode  in  Central  Ceylon,  I  have  not  made  it  a  business 
to  thrust  my  cane  into  every  tuft  of  grass  or  brnsh-heap 
in  order  to  stir  up  a  piece  of  living  rope ;  but  in  this  case 
I  acted  on  the  thought  that  "where  he  leads  me  I  will 
follow."  On  my  return  from  that  ill-fated  cavern,  the 
scorching,  parching,  grassless  desert  partook  of  the  nature 
of  a  paradise.  The  Bible  story  about  the  brazen  serpent 
seems  to  have  left  its  impress  indelibly  upon  the  Egyptian 
mind,  so  that  an  army  of  devils  is  preferable  to  the  sight 
of  one  serpent. 


XVII. 

SEVEN  HUNDRED  AND  FIFTY  MILES  UP  THE 

NILE. 

ALEXANDRIA  TO  THE  FIRST  CATARACT — ASSIOUT,  ASSOUAN, 

LUXOR,    AND    THE    GREAT    DAM     VISITED JOURNEY    TO 

THE    TOMBS    OF    THE    KINGS — COLOSSAL    REMNANTS    OF 
ANCIENT  THEBES. 

From  Cairo  I  made  a  side  trip  to  Alexandria,  which 
lies  more  than  one  hundred  miles  to  the  north  of  Cairo. 
From  Alexandria,  Paul  embarked  upon  the  voyage  which 
ended  in  shipwreck.  The  principal  points  of  interest  in 
Alexandria  are  the  catacombs,  the  baths  of  Cleopatra, 
the  museum,  and  Pompey's  Pillar.  This  pillar,  made  of 
three  blocks  of  stone,  stands  almost  one  hundred  feet 
in  height,  having  been  erected  by  Pompey,  a  Roman 
official,  in  honor  of  Diocletian.  It  rests  upon  the  loftiest 
site  in  the  city,  where  the  renowned  library  stood  and 
was  burned,  blotting  out  all  record  of  the  lost  arts.  The 
philosophies  of  Egypt  and  Greece  mixed  here,  and  scored 
their  Waterloo. 

Once  Pompey's  Pillar  was  surrounded  with  arches 
and  a  hundred  steps,  but  now  the  pillar  stands  alone,  while 
the  stately  halls  and  statues  have  allowed  time  to  outrun 
them  in  the  course  of  two  thousand  years.  The  pillar 
is  the  only  memorial  in  the  city  which  survives,  having 
looked  down  upon  Caesar  and  Napoleon,  upon  Greek  and 
Roman,  infidel  and  Christian,  Jew  and  Moslem,  as  they 

237 


238  Around  the  World. 

struggled  for  possession.  Near  the  railway  station  Cleo- 
patra's Needles  once  stood,  but  they  have  been  removed ; 
one  going  to  London,  the  other  to  Central  Park,  New 
York. 

Tradition  declares  that  Alexandria  stands  upon  the 
spot  where  the  ever-changing  Proteus  lived,  about  whom 
the  poets  have  written  so  much. 

In  332  B.  C,  Alexander  the  Great  noticed  the  natural 
advantages  here  afforded,  and  ordered  his  architect  to 
make  plans  for  a  city,  to  be  the  capital  of  the  East.  Alex- 
andria soon  became  the  chief  city  of  the  Macedonian 
dynasty,  but  under  the  reign  of  Cleopatra,  who  disgraced 
herself  and  Egypt  also,  Alexandria  became  the  second 
city  of  the  Roman  Empire  under  the  Csesars,  though  she 
retained  for  years  her  celebrity  for  wealth,  art,  and  learn- 
ing. Saint  Mark  came  here  to  preach  the  gospel.  Here 
once  stood  the  Pharos,  one  of  the  seven  wonders  of  the 
world — a  lofty  white  marble  edifice,  up  whose  exterior 
winding  stairway  chariots,  with  prancing  Arab  horses, 
went  to  the  very  summit  under  cracking  whip.  Here 
Euclid  wrote  his  Geometry,  and  Hipparchus,  Origcn, 
and  Athanasius  worked  out  their  ideas  which  influence 
the  world's  thought  of  this  day.  When  Amru  took  Alex- 
andria in  640  A.  D.,  he  sent  a  message  to  his  commander- 
in-chief,  Omar,  saying:  "I  have  taken  the  great  city  of 
the  West.  It  is  impossible  for  me  to  enumerate  the  vari- 
ety of  its  richness  and  beauty,  and  I  shall  content  myself 
with  observing  that  it  contains  four  thousand  palaces." 
The  city  now  has  a  population  of  two  hundred  and  fifty 
thousand,  and  its  sights  can  be  seen  in  one  day.  Here, 
as  at  Cairo,  one  finds  in  the  bazars  a  babel  of  tongues, 
curious  costumes,  a  motley  crowd,  all  ablaze  with  colors. 
If  the  proper  place  is  chosen,  one  may  see  in  a  few  min- 
utes a  congress  of  nations, — Syrian  Jews  wearing  ring- 


Seven  Hundred  and  Fifty  Miles  Up  the  Nile.   239 

lets ;  reckless  Turkish  horsemen ;  high-capped  Copts ; 
Albanians  in  white  dress ;  Nubians  with  rolling  eyes : 
French  and  Italian  so-called  beauties ;  Hindus,  Bedouins ; 
women  dressed  like  men,  men  dressed  just  like  women; 
Parthians,  Medes,  Elamites;  people  from  Mesopotamia, 
India,  Cappadocia,  Pontus,  Upper  Asia ;  everybody  and 
everything'  strange  to  one  who  has  not  seen  Asia. 

In  Egypt  a  person  is  pestered  day  and  night  by  na- 
tives, who  are  forever  trying  to  sell  something  or  to  get 
a  person  to  ride  their  donkeys  or  camels  or  ride  in  their 
carriages.  Nearly  every  other  person  you  meet  holds  a 
few  scarabs  before  your  eyes,  wanting  you  to  buv.  A 
scarab  is  an  image  of  a  bug,  probably  half  an  inch  in 
length,  which  is  found  in  mummies,  tombs,  and  ruins  of 
temples.  The  beetle  or  bug  was  worshiped  by  the  an- 
cient Egyptians  as  the  father  of  the  gods,  the  creator 
of  all  things  in  heaven  and  earth,  having  made  himself 
out  of  something  which  he  himself  had  made,  and,  being 
identified  with  the  rising  sun,  was  typical  of  the  resur- 
rection. 

It  is  the  same  here  as  throughout  the  Orient  about 
prices  and  bargaining.  If  you  pay  a  man  all  he  asks,  he 
will  regret  that  he  did  not  ask  more.  Pay  him  more  than 
he  asks,  as  some  do,  and  he  will  want  still  more.  Offer 
him  half  he  asks,  and  you  usually  have  the  articles  on 
your  hands,  unless  you  manage  to  get  away  before  he 
accepts  your  offer.  Sometimes  an  offer  of  one-third  the 
amount  asked  buys  the  articles  in  question. 

At  Benares  or  Lucknow  a  fellow  came  along  wanting 
to  sell  me  a  knife  at  one  rupee  (32  cents).  The  knife 
was  a  combination,  having  nine  blades,  saws,  picks,  etc. 
I  did  not  want  such  a  complete,  condensed  carpenter-shop 
in  my  pocket,  so  I  thought  I  would  get  rid  of  him  by 
stating  that  I  would  give  one  rupee  for  three  of  them. 


240  Around  the  World. 

He  waited  until  I  was  about  to  leave  the  depot,  then  came 
and  accepted  my  offer.  I  gave  him  the  solitary  rupee 
and  took  the  knives.  What  to  do  with  them  I  did  not 
know,  but  finally  stowed  them  away  in  my  already 
crowded  suit  cases.  I  happened  to  take  one  of  the  knives 
with  me  one  day  to  the  Pyramids,  thinking  I  might  need 
such  a  toolchest  in  tearing  down  a  pyramid  or  for  some 
other  purpose,  and  happened  to  be  using  it  when  some 
Bedouins  were  near.  They  had  never  seen  such  a  weapon, 
and  were  bent  on  securing  it  at  any  price.  The  first  offer 
was  much  more  than  I  had  paid  for  the  three  in  India,  so 
the  instrument  and  I  immediately  parted  companv. 

The  next  day,  when  about  to  leave  the  hotel  for  a  visit 
to  Memphis,  an  Algerian  who  had  heard  of  the  deal  of 
the  previous  day  and  of  the  uncounted  excellencies  of  the 
article  his  friend  had  purchased  from  me.  decided  that 
he,  too,  would  have  one  if  I  could  be  found  and  if  I  had 
another.  So  he  came  to  the  hotel  in  Cairo,  a  distance 
of  seven  miles  from  his  headquarters.  He  made  me  the 
same  offer  as  his  friend,  and  knife  No.  2  was  quickly  dis- 
posed of,  making  its  new  owner  as  happy  as  a  lark. 

The  next  day,  when  out  near  the  Pyramids,  I  was 
noticed  by  a  crowd  of  Bedouins,  who,  having  heard  of 
my  wonderful  combination,  gathered  about  me.  Among 
the  number  was  one  who  had  been  present  on  the  day  that 
I  had  been  discovered  in  possession  of  a  wonder  greater 
to  them  than  the  Sphinx,  and  this  one  informed  the  others. 
Not  being  able  to  supply  the  entire  aggregation,  I  sold 
out  to  the  first  one  who  offered  the  regulation  price, 
though  prior  to  the  sale  some  made  higher  bids.  If  all 
the  inhabitants  of  the  Saharas  are  similarly  minded,  it 
might  pay  some  one  to  import  a  cargo  of  such  ware  from 
India's  coral  strand. 

The  Nile  is  one  of  the  four  most  historic  rivers  of  the 


Seven  Hundred  and  Fifty  Miles  Up  the  Nile.   241 

world,  the  other  three  being  the  Yangste-Kiang,  the 
Ganges,  and  the  Jordan.  I  have  ridden  upon  the  placid 
bosom  of  the  four  excepting  the  Jordan,  and  expect  to 
test  it  within  two  weeks. 

By  the  Romans  this  river  was  called  the  Nilus,  and  by 
the  Greeks  Neilos,  from  "nea  Hits"  (new  mud).  The 
Nile  flows  a  distance  of  one  thousand  three  hundred  and 
fifty  miles  without  a  tributary,  and  is  declared  by  Hum- 
boldt to  be  without  parallel  in  the  physical  geography  of 
the  world.  The  greatest  breadth  of  the  Nile  is  about 
two  thousand  feet,  and  its  current  averages  about  three 
miles.  The  Nile  figures  extensively  in  Scripture,  par- 
ticularly when  its  waters  are  mentioned  as  having  been 
turned  to  blood.  "This  river  formerly  had  seven  mouths," 
says  the  historian,  "and  of  these  five  are  dried  up,  and' 
the  only  exit  now  for  the  waters  of  the  river  is  by  the 
artificially-constructed  openings  by  Damietta  and  Rosetti. 
Most  literally,  then,  is  the  prophecy  of  Isaiah  fulfilled : 
"The  Lord  shall  utterly  destroy  the  tongue  of  the  Egyp- 
tian sea,  and  with  His  mighty  wind  shall  He  shake  His 
hand  over  the  river,  and  shall  smite  it  in  the  seven  streams, 
and  make  men  go  over  dry-shod."  History  again  bears 
record  to  the  fulfillment  of  prophecy,  but  I  shall  not  mul- 
tiply instances. 

The  trip  to  Luxor  is  through  the  cradle  of  that  which 
is  most  ancient.  Tombs,  palaces,  towers,  and  ruins  mark 
the  centers  of  activity  throughout  the  journey. 

At  Assiout,  a  city  of  over  thiity  thousand,  more  than 
three  hundred  miles  south  of  Alexandria,  is  located  the 
largest  and  most  successful  plant  of  the  American  mis- 
sion of  the  United  Presbyterian  Church.  Through  Rev. 
Dr.  Griffin,  of  Cairo,  I  was  shown  some  of  their  work, 
and  further  by  the  Rev.  J.  Campbell  White,  who  has 
just  arrived  on  the  field  from  Calcutta.  Nearly  every 
16 


242 


Around  the  World. 


person  in  Assiout  who  can  talk  English  was  trained  in 
the  schools  of  this  mission. 

From  Luxor  I  continued  my  tour  into  the  boundary 
of  Khartoum.  Six  miles  south  of  Assouan  I  visited  the 
great  dam,  pronounced  to  be  the  greatest  triumph  of  en- 
gineering and  construction  in  the  world  since  the  build- 
ing of  the  Great  Pyramid.  Recently  completed,  it  is  one 
and  one-fourth  miles  long;  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet 
deep ;  extends  seventy-five  feet  above  the  level  of  the 
river  and  seventy-five  feet  in  the  ground  for  a  foun- 
dation ;  was  four  years  in  building,  requiring  fifteen  thou- 
sand men  at  a  cost  of  $15,000,000.  A  syndicate  took  the 
contract,  to  be  paid  by  the  government  of  Egypt  in  annual 
installments  of  $800,000  per  year  for  forty  years.  Hence 
it  will  cost  $32,000,000,  affording  the  contracting  syndi- 
cate a  profit  of  $17,000,000  for  interest,  etc.  The  dam 
reaches  from  mountain-side  to  mountain-side,  thus  form- 
ing a  great  reservoir  for  the  storing  of  water,  to  be  let 
loose  at  the  proper  time  by  means  of  one  hundred  and 
eighty  sluicegates  located  at  the  bottom  of  the  dam,  and 
operated,  raised,  and  lowered  by  powerful  winches,  mak- 
ing it  possible  to  secure  two  or  more  inundations  of  the 
Nile  instead  of  one  annually.  By  a  system  of  locks,  ves- 
sels ascend  and  descend ;  no  other  locks  of  the  kind  are 
in  existence,  I  am  told  by  the  officials,  who  were  very 
kind,  and  took  pains  to  show  me  the  great  monster  that 
bids  defiance  to  the  river.  The  material  for  its  construc- 
tion was  secured  in  the  granite  quarries  near  by,  from 
which  the  granite  for  the  great  temples,  obelisks,  and 
Pyramids  was  quarried.  One  giant  obelisk  eighty  feet 
in  length  remains  in  the  quarry,  one  end  being  in  the 
living  rock,  the  race  of  giant  builders  having  been  swept 
from  earth  before  they  had  time  to  transport  it  to  its 
intended  home.     When  I  am  reminded  that   Pompey's 


Seven  Hundred  and  Fifty  Miles  Up  the  Nile.   243 

Pillar,  that  towers  almost  one  hundred  feet  at  Alexandria, 
was  brought  from  these  quarries,  a  distance  of  more  than 
seven  hundred  miles,  1  am  amazed  at  the  difficulty  of  the 
project,  and  wonder  how  such  a  herculean  undertaking 
was  ever  accomplished. 

I  was  surprised  to  learn  that  there  were  no  canals  or 
conduits  leading  from  the  reservoir  above  the  dam  for 
irrigation  purposes,  for  I  had  formed  that  idea  of  the 
purpose  of  the  dam.  The  sluicegates  are  at  the  bottom 
of  the  dam,  so  that  the  rushing  water  will  carry  the  soil 
below  and  not  fill  up  the  reservoir  above.  The  soil  carried 
down  by  each  inundation  is  as  necessary  as  the  water 
itself.  Five  or  seven  thousand  years  of  uninterrupted 
cultivation  would  impoverish  an>  soil  if  not  refreshed 
or  renewed.  The  dam  was  built  upon  the  cataract,  the 
noise  of  which  ancient  travelers  and  geographers  de- 
scribed as  being  "so  prodigious  as  to  deafen  those  within 
earshot."  The  water  is  near  the  top  of  the  dam  now, 
and  will  be  let  out  in  about  three  weeks,  as  the  crops 
along  the  Nile  below  will  then  need  a  drink. 

The  famous  island  of  Phike  is  almost  covered  with 
water,  being  situated  just  above  the  dam  only  a  few  thou- 
sand yards.  This  inundation  of  the  ruins  of  ancient 
Phila?  was  not  anticipated  when  the  dam  was  being 
planned  and  built,  but  it  is  too  late  now;  what  time  has 
not  done,  the  water  will  accomplish  in  a  short  time. 

Upon  the  walls  of  the  temples  at  Philse  are  sculptures 
dating  from  the  reigns  of  Roman  emperors,  Augustus, 
Tiberius,  Domitian,  and  Trajan. 

Fhilse  is  ruined.  Its  Gothic  arches,  courts,  colon- 
nades, and  gods  will  soon  be  overturned  by  the  cruel, 
undermining  waters.  The  elephantine  island  at  Luxor 
is  of  interest. 


244  Around  the  World. 

But  of  all  the  ruins  on  the  Upper  Nile,  none  can  be 
ranked  with  those  of  Luxor  and  Karnak,  the  remnants 
of  ancient  Thebes.    Turning  to  history  I  read,  "The  exact 
origin  of  Thebes,  like  that  of  Memphis,  is  involved  in 
obscurity,  and  its  fall  is  as  obscure  as  its  origin."     If  you 
would  know  why  Thebes  bit  the  dust  read  Ezekiel  xxx, 
verses  13  to  19  inclusive,  remembering  that  Noph  was  the 
Hebrew  name  for  Memphis,  No  was  Thebes,  and  Aven 
was  Heliopolis.    Thebes,  once  so  proud,  haughty,  and  vile 
as  to  call  forth  the  denunciation  of  the  sacred  writer,  is 
no  more.     She  is  in  ruins.     "Thebes  has  always  marvel- 
ously  impressed  the  mind  and  imagination  of  travelers  by 
its  extent  and  the  vastness  of  its  monuments.     There  arc 
temples  whose  front  elevation  was  nearly  a  mile  in  length, 
fragments  of  colossal  statues  truly  enormous,  colonnades 
that  rose  to  over  seventy   feet  in  height.     Not  only  do 
these  ruins  extend  over  the  whole  breadth  of  the  Nile 
valley,   but  on  the   sides  of  the   surrounding  mountains 
ancient  remains  lie  in  heaps,  whilst  tombs,  still  in  good 
preservation,    cover   the    western    plain    and    stretch    far 
out  into  the  desert.     It  appeared  like  entering  a  city  of 
giants,  who,  after  a  long  conflict  had  been  all  destroyed, 
leaving  the  ruins  of  their  vast  temples  as  the  only  proofs 
of  their  existence.    The  plain  on  which  Thebes  was  built, 
though   limited  in   extent,   was   yet   sufficient   to  contain 
one  of  the  largest  cities  of  the  earth.    According  to  Strabo, 
there  is  no  doubt  but  that  the  ancient  city  covered  the 
whole  plain.     The  wide  acres  of  Theban  ruin  prove  alike 
the  greatness  of  the  city  and  the  force  with  which  it  was 
overthrown.     The  ruined  temples  still  stand  to  call  forth 
the  wonder  of  the  traveler.     They  have  seen  the  whole 
portion  of  time,  of  which   history  keeps  the  reckoning, 
roll  before  them  ;  they  have  seen  kingdoms  and  nations 
rise  and  fall — the  Babylonians,  Jews,  Persians,  Greeks, 


Seven  Hundred  and  Fifty  Miles  Up  the  Nile.   245 

and  Romans.  They  have  seen  the  childhood  of  all  that 
we  call  ancient,  and  they  seem  likely  to  stand  to  tell  their 
tale  to  those  who  will  hereafter  call  us  the  ancients.* 

This  ought  to  he  enough  to  convince  any  one  that  no 
amount  of  word-painting  in  which  1  might  have  indulged 
would  have  overdrawn  Thebes.  I  shall  not  take  time  or 
space  to  describe  the  great  temple  now  in  ruins  at  Luxor ; 
suffice  it  to  state  that  it  is  a  ponderous  pile  of  mammoth 
pillars,  colonnades,  obelisks,  statues,  and  colosses,  seem-' 
inglv  erected  by  giants  who  have  long  since  passed  away. 
The  Persians  once  sacked  this  temple.  But  let  us  hurry 
over  by  donkey  to  Karnak,  where  stand  the  most  colossal 
ruins  on  earth,  erected  by  a  people  who  as  giants  must 
have  been  the  most  gigantic  of  which  the  mind  can  con- 
ceive. But  since  their  kings,  whom  I  have  seen  as  mum- 
mies, were  only  ordinary  men  physically,  their  greatness 
must  have  consisted  of  superlative  genius  as  massive 
builders. 

Excavators  were  at  work  among  these  Titanic  ruins 
the  day  I  visited  them.  Fifty  men  were  using  modern 
devices  for  moving  a  huge  fragment  of  rock  that  had 
been  broken  from  a  larger  piece.  They  were  half  an  hour 
moving  that  fragment  half  an  inch.  The  appliances  em- 
ployed and  the  time  required  to  transport  the  original 
here  centuries  ago  remain  among  the  many  mysteries 
which  are  relegated  to  eternity  for  solution. 

Here  I  observed  the  harshness  of  the  Egyptian  task- 
master, a  relic  of  ancient  times.  While  attempting  to 
move  that  rock,  an  accident  occurred,  one  man  having 
his  leg  severely  hurt.  I  saw  that  he  was  in  great  pain, 
and  saw  the  bruised  part.  He  begged  to  be  allowed  to 
quit  or  rest  till  relief  came,  but  that  horrid,  hard-hearted 


*Cook's  Egypt,  p.  19S. 


246  Around  the  World. 

overseer  standing  by  with  a  wild-looking  leather  whip 
in  his  hand,  gave  him  a  terrible  stroke,  wrapping  the  lash 
several  times  about  the  limb  exactly  on  the  spot  of  the 
injury,  causing  the  blood  to  flow  in  rivulets  to  the  ground. 
How  I  would  have  enjoyed  clubbing  that  villain  with  my 
cane !     But  two  wrongs  never  make  a  right. 

The  ruins  of  the  temple  at  Karnak  are  outside  the 
realm  of  description  for  massiveness,  just  as  the  Taj 
Mahal  and  Jumma  Musjid  of  Agra  and  Delhi,  India, 
stand  alone  for  exquisite  beauty  and  perfection  of  deco- 
ration and  proportion.  Each  has  the  reputation  of  out- 
stripping the  world  in  their  respective  spheres.  A  lady 
laden  with  sparkling  diamonds  and  costly  ornaments,  on 
turning  from  her  own  spectacle  to  the  Taj  or  Jumma 
would  say,  "How  sublimely  beautiful !"  while  the  harsh, 
shrill-voiced  builder  of  cantilever  bridges,  destroyer  of 
a  Hell  Gate,  or  manufacturer  of  the  heaviest  lifting 
cranes  known  to  man  to-day,  would  look  up  at  these 
Himalayan  columns,  obelisks,  pillars,  pylons,  and  ele- 
vated girders  of  the  most  colossal  type,  and  shake  his 
head,  saying:  "We  are  dwarfs;  onr  hoisting  machines 
are  but  child  toys  compared  with  the  might  required  to 
do  all  that.  Let  us  take  off  our  hats  and  return  thanks 
that  we  have  lived  to  see  what  our  eyes  now  behold." 
One  obelisk  nere  is  the  highest  known,  being  ninety-two 
feet  in  height,  consisting  of  one  solid  piece  of  granite. 
Having  been  quite  brief,  let  me  fire  a  parting  shot  at  the 
ruins  of  the  temple  of  Karnak  by  a  quotation  from  the  pen 
of  Homer :  "For  many  a  day  after  I  had  seen  it,  and  even 
to  this  hour,  glimpses  of  Thebes  mingle  with  my  reveries 
and  blend  with  my  dreams,  as  if  that  vision  had  pic- 
tured itself  upon  the  brain  and  left  its  impress  there 
forever." 


Seven  Hundred  and  Fifty  Miles  Up  the  Nile.  247 

A  visit  to  the  tombs  of  the  kings  occupied  half  a  day. 
They  are  hidden  away  under  a  mountain  of  granite  at  the 
end  of  a  canon  four  miles  beyond  the  Nile,  where  the 
words  "dreary  and  forsaken"  lose  their  meaning  when 
used  in  description. 

In  Thebes,  as  in  Memphis,  I  rode  over  the  roofs.  Her 
streets  are  filled  with  the  dust  of  centuries.  Prophecy  has 
had  its  will,  played  its  part  well. 


XVIII. 
CAIRO  TO  JERUSALEM. 

VIA    PORT    SAID,    JAFFA,    AND    BEIRUT — ANOTHER    QUARAN- 
TINE EXAMINATION JAFFA  TO  JERUSALEM   BY  RAIL — 

SHARON,    THE    BEAUTIFUL — A    CARPET    OF    FLOWERS — 
VALLEY  OF  AJALON. 

After  an  intensely  interesting  sojourn  in  the  Upper 
Nile  country  among  the  typical  Egyptians,  forsaken 
Bedouins,  and  sable  Nubians,  I  hastened  northward  many 
a  weary,  dusty,  superheated  mile  to  the  more  civilized 
but  not  less  interesting  region  of  the  Sphinx  and  Pyra- 
mids. Devoting  another  day  to  fixing  in  my  mind  the 
scenes  in  and  about  Cairo,  I  retraced  my  steps  via  Ismailia 
to  Port  Said,  where  passage  was  taken  for  Beirut,  Syria, 
on  the  steamship  Bquateur  of  the  French  mail  line,  known 
as  the  Messageries  Maritimes  Steam  Navigation  Co.  My 
destination  was  Jerusalem  via  Jaffa ;  but  the  designing 
sultan  of  Turkey  issued  an  order  that  all  passengers  for 
Palestine  should  proceed  to  Beirut  for  examination  before 
entering  the  promised  land.  Hence  we  were  not  per- 
mitted to  land  at  Jaffa,  though  the  waters  of  that  danger- 
ous harbor  were  smooth  as  a  floor.  Hoisting  anchor,  the 
good  ship  sped  away  up  the  coast  past  Mount  Carmel, 
and  at  five  o'clock  next  morning  we  awakened  to  find  her 
tugging  at  her  anchor  in  the  harbor  at  Beirut. 

The  officials  of  his  long-nosed,  many-wived  majesty 
came  aboard  to  give  us  the  searching  examination   for 

248 


Cairo  to  Jerusalem.  249 

which  we  had  traveled  all  night,  and  had  paid  for  the 
round  trip  two  pounds  sterling  each  ;  but  no  examination 
was  in  evidence,  and  the  only  demand  made  was  that  each 
passenger  pay  one  franc  (twenty  cents).  We  were  then 
permitted  to  land.  On  reaching  shore  our  passports 
were  examined,  a  charge  of  one  franc  being  made  for 
permitting  the  sacred  eyes  of  a  Turk  to  fall  upon  our 
state  papers.  A  visaed  passport  is  not  sufficient  here. 
One  must  have  a  tezkereh,  or  local  passport,  in  order  to 
travel  inland.  Knowing  this  was  required,  I  secured  mine 
at  Cairo  through  the  recommendation  of  our  consul  gen- 
eral. At  the  consulate  I  was  requested  to  have  Thomas 
Cook  &  Son  or  some  other  tourist  agency  secure  the  paper 
for  me,  as  I  could  not  handle  such  a  gobbler  language. 
But  having  made  the  tour  thus  far  without  the  aid  or 
co-operation  of  any  foreign  power,  1  decided  to  face  the 
Turkish  legation  alone,  and  not  run  or  surrender  till  my 
last  cannon  was  spiked.  I  informed  the  hotel  clerks  what 
I  proposed  to  do  single-handed,  and  they  desired  to  send 
their  intrepreter  along,  whose  charge  was  four  shillings. 
I  stated  that  I  did  not  want  help,  even  if  it  were  free,  as 
I  was  out  for  experience.  Then  only  two  shillings  were 
asked,  whereupon  I  set  out  alone,  found  the  headquarters 
of  the  Turkish  government,  and  entered  one  office  of 
more  than  fifty  in  the  building  and  began  to  make  known 
my  mission.  After  a  pantomime  covering  several  min- 
utes I  was  conducted  from  office  to  office,  up  stairs  and 
down,  in  and  out  of  strange  places,  until  I  had  gone  thrice 
about  the  building,  and  secured  the  necessary  tezkereh 
at  an  expense  of  only  sixty-five  cents,  whereas  tourist 
agents  had  asked  me  one  dollar  besides  their  messenger 
fees  for  securing  the  same  article ;  and,  besides,  they 
would  deprive  me  of  the  enviable  experience  of  rubbing 
up  against  those  women-dressed  men  myself. 


25° 


Around  the  World. 


After  spending  two  days  in  Beirut  the  steamer  was 
ready  to  return  to  Jaffa  per  schedule.  In  order  to  em- 
bark at  Beirut  for  Jaffa  I  had  to  take  this  tezkereh  to  the 
city  officials,  have  an  indorsement  made  of  the  fact  that 
I  was  leaving  for  Jaffa,  and  pay  an  extra  franc.  Such  is 
the  diplomacy  of  the  indomitable  Turk. 

I  understand  that  the  sultan  demands  an  annual  tribute 
from  the  governor  of  Beirut  as  well  as  from  all  the  gov- 
ernors, and  they  must  raise  this  money  in  any  way  they 
can  by  using  fair  or  foul  means.  Being  taught  by  his 
sultanic  majesty,  they  prove  to  be  veritable  chips  from 
the  old  block  in  inordinate  extortion. 

For  years  the  terminus  of  the  Damascus  railroad  has 
been  at  a  point  a  considerable  distance  from  the  Beirut 
harbor.  The  company  secured  a  permit  to  extend  the 
road  to  the  harbor.  When  the  work  was  completed,  the 
company  was  ordered  not  to  run  any  trains  on  the  new 
track  until  a  bonus  of  five  hundred  pounds  sterling  should 
be  paid  to  the  sultan.  This  the  company  refused  to  do, 
and  the  road  remained  unused  until  the  snltan,  or  Satan 
of  the  East,  gave  up  the  struggle  and  telegraphed  his  con- 
sent to  the  use  of  the  road.  I  am  informed  that  the  gov- 
ernor held  this  message  for  a  week  after  its  receipt, 
thinking  the  company  might  back  down  from  its  position 
and  grant  the  backsheesh  demanded.  The  company, 
knowing  that  the  message  had  arrived,  held  out  faithfully 
till  the  representative  of  the  snltan  was  outdone.  The 
road  was  opened  the  first  day  I  spent  in  Beirut.  All  the 
people  who  could  do  so  left  their  homes  and  shops  to 
witness  the  festivities  attending  this  noteworthy  event. 
The  streets  about  the  harbor  were  thronged  with  a  motley 
crowd  dressed  in  all  the  colors  of  the  rainbow.  Banners 
were  flying,  horses  were  prancing,  bands  were  playing, 
fezes,  sashes,  loose,  baggy  pantaloons,  and  the  serpentine 


Cairo  to  Jerusalem.  25 1 

nargilehs  lent  Turkish  and  Arabian  dignity  to  the  event, 
while  the  snowcapped  Lebanons  reminded  me  of  the  land 
I  love  best. 

But  let  us  hasten  to  the  south.  All  night  long-  the 
engine's  thud  and  the  sound  of  the  twirling  screws  drove 
sleep  into  hiding.  The  engineer,  obeying  orders,  gave 
the  engine  a  few  extra  revolutions  per  minute  so  that  we 
might  arrive  in  Jaffa  and  land  before  the  train  should 
depart  for  Jerusalem. 

In  due  time  Jaffa  was  sighted.  The  ship  soon  dropped 
anchor  in  front  of  the  historic  city  and  here  we  are. 
What  memories  crowd  upon  one  as  recorded  history 
swings  into  line  and  paints  the  past  in  living  letters ! 
This  is  the  Jaffa  to  which  Hiram,  king  of  Tyre,  sent  the 
cedar-wood  to  be  used  in  the  building  of  Solomon's 
temple.  Where  the  ship  lies,  a  flotilla  of  cedar  once  lay, 
waiting  to  be  transported  to  Jerusalem  for  the  building 
of  the  most  magnificent  edifice  ever  constructed  by  man, 
its  plan  being  a  product  of  the  eternal  God.  From  this 
very  port  Jonah  sailed  away  on  that  tempestuous  voyage 
the  details  of  which  are  set  forth  in  Jonah.  When  the 
great  temple  was  rebuilt  by  Zerubbabel  the  timbers  were 
brought  "from  Lebanon  to  the  sea  of  Joppa."  (Ezra 
iii,  7.)  Herod  the  Great  once  took  Jaffa,  and  Josephus 
states  that  eighty  thousand  people  were  slain  here  by 
Cestius  in  the  Jewish  war.  Pirates  rebuilt  the  city,  and 
Vespasian  destroyed  it.  Napoleon  took  Jaffa,  slew  four 
thousand  Albanians,  and,  when  forced  to  evacuate  the 
city,  had  five  hundred  of  his  sick  soldiers  poisoned  so 
they  would  not  fall  into  the  hands  of  his  enemy  and  be 
tortured. 

Of  all  events  connected  with  Jaffa  none  surpass  that 
recorded  in  Acts  ix,  36-43.     Here  it  was  that  Dorcas 


252  Around  the  World. 

lived,  who  "was  full  of  good  works  and  alms-deeds  which 
she  did." 

When  visiting  the  traditional  tomb  of  Dorcas,  I  could 
picture  the  scene  that  once  was  the  topic  of  the  city.  Dor- 
cas, or  Tabitha,  as  she  was  sometimes  called,  had  died. 
Doubtless  every  one  knew  her  because  of  the  good  she 
had  done.  "And  forasmuch  as  Lydda  was  nigh  to  Joppa, 
and  the  disciples  had  heard  that  Peter  was  there,  they  sent 
unto  him  two  men,  desiring  him  that  he  should  not  delay 
to  come  to  them."  He  came,  "kneeled  down  and  prayed ; 
and  turning  to  the  body  said,  Tabitha,  arise.  And  she 
opened  her  eyes;  and  when  she  saw  Peter  she  sat  up. 
And  he  gave  her  his  hand,  and  lifted  her  up,  and  when 
he  had  called  the  saints  and  widows,  presented  her  alive. 
And  it  was  known  throughout  all  Joppa;  and  many  be- 
lieved on  the  Lord.  And  it  came  to  pass  that  he  tarried 
many  days  with  one  Simon  a  tanner." 

I  visited  the  traditional  house  of  Simon  the  tanner 
and  climbed  upon  its  roof.  (Acts  x,  9-48.)  Speaking  of 
this  site,  Dean  Stanley  said:  "The  rude  staircase  to  the 
roof  of  the  modern  house,  flat  now  as  of  old,  leads  us  to 
the  view  which  gives  all  that  is  needed  for  the  accom- 
paniments of  the  hour.  There  is  the  wide  noonday 
heaven  above ;  in  front  is  the  long,  bright  sweep  of  the 
Mediterranean  Sea,  its  near  waves  broken  by  the  reefs 
famous  in  ancient  Gentile  legends  as  the  Rocks  of  Androm- 
eda. Fishermen  are  standing  and  wading  amongst 
them — such  as  might  have  been  there  of  old — recalling 
to  the  apostle  his  long-forgotten  nets  by  the  Lake  of 
Gennesaret.  the  first  promise  of  his  future  call  to  be  a 
fisher  of  men." 

Jaffa  is  a  city  of  about  thirty  thousand,  and  is  built 
mostly  of  stone,  with  tiled  roofs.  The  city  walls  were 
taken  down  by  order  of  the  sultan.     But  the  unexpected 


Cairo  to  Jerusalem.  2^3 

should  always  be  expected  when  dealing'  with  Constanti- 
nople. For  instance,  when  an  English  company  proposed 
to  spend  a  few  million  dollars  in  giving  to  Jaffa  a  safe 
harbor,  an  order  preventing  it  was  issued,  whereas  any 
progressive  government  would  have  strained  every  muscle 
in  an  attempt  to  assist  the  undertaking  by  granting  a 
subsidy  of  cold  cash. 

It  is  now  unofficially  announced  that  England  regrets 
having  interfered  when  Russia  was  about  to  carve  Turkey 
and  swallow  her,  feathers  and  all. 

Jaffa  is  known  the  world  over  for  its  large  oranges. 
They  are  not  only  large,  but  cheap  also.  A  basket  con- 
taining more  than  half  a  peck  can  be  purchased  for  six- 
pence. 

Besides  visiting  the  tomb  of  Dorcas  and  the  house 
of  Simon,  nearly  every  visitor  interested  in  education 
visits  the  school  of  Miss  Arnott,  who  is  building  for  her- 
self an  imperishable  monument  and  doing  untold  good. 

The  hotel  at  Jaffa  bears  the  inscription  on  its  front, 
"Hotel  Jerusalem,"  and  is  operated  by  Mr.  Hardegg, 
who  also  acts  as  American  vice-consul. 

The  train  leaves  Jaffa  at  1.20  P.  M.  for  Jerusalem, 
the  Holy  City,  revered  by  Moslem,  French,  Greek,  Rus- 
sian, Roman,  German,  and  the  English ;  in  short,  it  is  the 
Holy  City  of  all  the  great  powers  of  earth. 

The  distance  from  Jaffa  to  Jerusalem  as  the  crow  flies 
is  about  thirty-five,  by  road  forty,  and  by  rail  fifty-three 
miles.  Leaving  Jaffa,  one  is  impressed  that  he  is  really 
in  a  land  flowing  with  milk  and  honey.  Fruit-gardens 
greet  the  eye  as  one  looks  in  either  direction  from  the 
train.  Lemons  and  oranges,  clinging  to  the  limbs  in  al- 
most endless  profusion,  indicate  that  this  old  land  still 
produces  abundantly.  Passing  from  the  gardens,  the 
plain  of  Sharon  welcomes  the  pilgrim  to  its  carpet  of 


254  Around  the  World. 

flowers.  Here  the  flowering-  narcissus  flourishes  to  the 
delight  of  every  beholder.  At  each  station  the  passengers 
utilize  every  spare  moment  in  gathering  flowers  of  a  vari- 
ety of  colors,  returning  quickly  to  the  cars  when  the 
whistle  from  an  American  locomotive  signals  the  time 
for  starting.  How  do  I  know  it  was  an  American  loco- 
motive? I  walked  to  the  front  of  the  train  to  see  the 
brand,  and  am  quite  sure  that  "Baldwin  Locomotive 
Works,  Philadelphia,  U.  S.  A.,"  is  a  sufficient  guarantee 
of  American  construction.  I  was  agreeably  surprised  to 
see  the  same  stamp  on  the  front  of  our  iron  horse  when 
seven  hundred  miles  and  more  up  the  Nile. 

Eleven  miles  from  Jaffa  is  Lydda,  one  of  the  ancient 
cities  of  Palestine.  The  Benjaminites  occupied  it  after 
the  captivity.  In  Acts  ix,  32-35,  it  is  recorded  that  "It 
came  to  pass,  as  Peter  passed  throughout  all  quarters, 
he  came  down  to  the  saints  which  dwelt  at  Lydda.  And 
there  he  found  a  certain  man  named  .-Eneas,  which  had 
kept  his  bed  eight  years,  and  was  sick  of  the  palsy.  And 
Peter  said  unto  him,  /Eneas,  Jesus  Christ  maketh  thee 
whole ;  arise,  and  make  thy  bed.  And  he  arose  immedi- 
ately. And  all  that  dwelt  at  Lydda  and  Saron  saw  him, 
and  turned  to  the  Lord."  What  mighty  events  these ! 
Greater  than  the  building  of  a  Pyramid,  a  Taj  Mahal,  or 
a  Sphinx.  Historic  sites !  A  fine  church  dedicated  to 
St.  George,  but  now  in  possession  of  the  Greeks,  can  be 
seen  a  considerable  distance.  A  church  was  erected  on 
the  same  spot  by  Justinian,  but  it  was  destroyed  by  the 
Saracens. 

Three  miles  from  Lydda  is  Ramleh,  a  flourishing  little 
city  of  sixty-five  hundred  people,  having,  as  most  other 
Palestine  cities,  its  quota  of  Bible  associations.  Passing 
Ramleh  a  good  view  of  the  Valley  of  Ajalon  is  obtained. 
Here  Joshua  routed  the  five  kings  of  the  Amorites  by 


Cairo  to  Jerusalem.  255 

calling  to  his  aid  the  Grand  Master  Workman  of  the  uni- 
verse, who,  at  Joshua's  request,  held  the  sun  and  moon, 
and  prolonged  the  day  thereby,  until  victory  was  com- 
plete. "Sun,  stand  thou  still  upon  Gibeon,  and  thou, 
moon,  in  the  Valley  of  Ajalon.  And  the  sun  stood  still, 
and  the  moon  stayed  until  the  people  had  avenged  them- 
selves upon  their  enemies."     (Josh,  x,  12,  13.) 

The  dragoman  points  out  Gezer,  or  rather  what  is  left 
of  its  ruins.  In  1  Kings  ix,  16,  we  are  told  that  "Pharaoh, 
king  of  Egypt,  had  gone  up  and  taken  Gezer,  and  burnt 
it  with  fire,  and  slain  the  Canaanites  that  dwelt  in  the 
city,  and  given  it  for  a  present  unto  his  daughter,  Solo- 
mon's wife."  What  use  Solomon's  wife  would  make  of 
a  ruined  city  I  can  not  conjecture.  In  India  I  was  pre- 
sented a  cane  for  which  I  thought  I  would  have  no  use, 
but  it  has  proven  to  be  priceless  in  driving  away  back- 
sheesh pests. 

Among  the  more  important  traditional  points  pointed 
out  is  the  brook  from  which  David  secured  the  pebble's 
used  in  his  sling,  the  birthplace  and  tomb  of  Samson, 
and  the  place  where  Noah  received  the  angel. 

At  a  point  five  miles  from  Jerusalem  is  Bittir  Station, 
where  the  Jews  made  their  last  hard  fight  against  the 
Romans.  The  Talmud  asserts  that  the  blood  of  the  Jews 
slain  here  reached  to  the  breasts  of  the  horses  and  flowed 
to  the  sea.  I  am  of  the  opinion  that  the  brook  which 
then  coursed  through  the  valley  was  only  crimsoned  from 
many  wounded  horses  and  soldiers  bathing  in  it.  At 
Chickamauga  the  government  has  caused  an  iron  plate 
to  be  set  up  bearing  the  words,  "Bloody  Pond."  Because 
the  water  was  made  crimson,  one  is  not  justified  in  assert- 
ing that  a  horse  led  into  it  was  breast-deep  in  blood. 

After  a  ride  of  three  and  a  half  hours  across  flowering 
plains    and    through    valleys    sacredly    historic,    "down 


256  Around  the  World. 

brakes"  is  signaled,  and  the  panting  locomotive  comes 
to  a  halt  outside  the  most  often  destroyed  and  most  often 
rebuilt  as  well  as  most  sacred  city  in  the  world. 

Within  one  hour  I  had  reached  my  hotel,  and  had  set 
out  alone  for  a  stroll  in  the  city.  Entering  by  the  Jaffa 
gate,  the  most  popular  of  the  seven,  I  made  my  way 
through  the  throng  of  beggars,  vendors,  and  donkeys 
down  David  Street.  Near  the  center  of  the  walled  city 
I  ascended  two  flights  of  stairs  which  I  saw  unused,  and 
fed  my  anxious  eyes  upon  a  vision  of  which  I  had  often 
read,  studied,  and  dreamed.  Just  before  me  was  the  Pool 
of  Hezekiah,  an  immense  reservoir  two  hundred  and  fifty 
by  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet,  fed  by  a  conduit  from 
another  pool  outside  the  city.  The  entire  city  seemed  to 
to  lie  at  my  feet.  Yonder  stood  the  Mosque  of  Omar 
and  Mosque  El  Aksa,  proudly  guarding  the  temple  area 
where  the  unrivaled  Temple  of  Solomon  once  stood  in  all 
its  untold  grandeur.  To  my  left  was  the  Church  of  the 
Holy  Sepulcher,  the  most  sacred  spot  on  earth  to  many 
a  million.  Looking  to  the  east  the  Mount  of  Olives 
lifted  itself  high  above  the  Valley  of  Jehoshaphat,  while 
the  Garden  of  Gethsemane  nestled  at  the  parting  of  the 
ways  alongside  the  sacred  mount. 

From  the  summit  of  the  Great  Pyramid  I  had  seen  the 
march  of  history  from  its  infancy,  and  had  reached  back 
beyond  tradition's  grasp ;  but  here  was  spread  out  before 
me  the  old  landmarks  which  witnessed  the  mighty  scenes 
connected  with  the  life  of  the  Redeemer  of  men,  from 
whose  birth  all  history  takes  its  bearings,  whom  most  men 
revere  as  the  peerless  Man,  the  Son  of  God.  What  sacred 
memories  crowd  in  an  unbroken  succession  before  the 
mind!  In  Genesis  xiv,  18.  this  city  was  called  Salem,  the 
City  of  Melchizedek,  until  captured  by  King  David,  when 
it  was  called  the  City  of  David.    Jerusalem  was  adorned 


Cairo  to  Jerusalem.  257 

by  Solomon  until  its  fame  spread  throughout  the  earth 
and  the  queen  of  Sheba  declared  the  half  had  not  been 
told.  But  the  glory  of  Jerusalem  arose  and  fell  like  a 
barometer  that  experienced  many  a  storm.  During"  the 
reign  of  Rehoboam,  when  the  ten  tribes  were  in  the  state 
of  mutiny,  the  city  was  besieged  and  plundered  by  the 
king  of  Egypt,  Shishak.  The  city  was  pillaged  by  Syr- 
ians, Egyptians,  Arabians,  Assyrians,  Babylonians,  and 
Philistines.  Josiah  being  slain  at  Megiddo  in  the  plain 
of  Esdraelon,  Pharaoh  Necho  took  Jerusalem,  secured  the 
tribute  demanded,  and  compelled  its  king,  Jehoahaz,  to 
accompany  him  to  Egypt  for  safe  keeping  and  as  a  sort 
of  assurance  that  the  tribute  would  be  paid  annually. 

Jerusalem  had  about  settled  down  to  business  in  586 
B.  C,  when  Nebuchadnezzar,  king  of  Babylon,  thought 
he  would  rather  fight  than  eat,  and  brought  his  men  of 
war,  battering  rams,  etc.,  and  captured  the  city,  pillaged 
and  burned  the  temple  and  palaces,  leveled  the  walls  to 
the  ground,  and,  not  satisfied  with  taking  everything  they 
had,  went  a  step  farther  and  carried  all  the  people  captive 
to  Babylon. 

With  the  walls  down  and  everything  else  in  utter 
wreck  and  ruin,  this  place  must  have  presented  a  forsaken 
sight.  The  Jews,  however,  wrere  not  anxious  to  leave, 
for  there  is  no  place  like  home.  After  seventy  years  of 
captivity  the  Jews  were  permitted  to  return  ;  the  city  and 
temple  were  rebuilt  by  Nehemiah,  whose  men  could  fight 
as  well  as  work,  for  "the)-  had  a  mind  to  work." 

In  332  the  Greeks  under  Alexander  the  Great,  having 
conquered  nearly  every  other  part  of  the  known  world, 
decided  to  take  Jerusalem.  As  Alexander  the  Great  cared 
not  for  expense  or  the  lives  of  men.  he  brought  his  con- 
quering hosts  there  and  captured  the  city.  The  defenders 
of  the  city  doubtless  thought  it  unwise  to  make  a  stand 
17 


258  Around  the  World. 

against  a  chieftain  who  had  proven  victorious  in  every 
battle,  and  welcomed  him  to  Jerusalem.  Losing  no  men 
in  taking  the  city,  Alexander  spared  it.  Eighteen  years 
went  by  in  comparative  quiet.  Then  it  was  that  Ptolemy 
I,  king  of  Egypt,  thought  it  about  time  to  have  something 
"doing"  about  Jerusalem ;  consequently  he  marched  his 
hordes  here  in  314  B.  C,  and,  taking  advantage  of  the 
Jews'  Sabbath,  besieged  it  on  that  day,  and  took  it  with- 
out resistance,  as  the  Jews  were  not  disposed  to  fight  on 
such  a  holy  day.  Brave  people  they  who  would  be  cap- 
tured by  a  deadly  foe  rather  than  fight  against  conscience 
and  what  their  law  taught  them  was  right.  Many  were 
carried  into  captivity,  but  Jerusalem  was  soon  wrested 
from  the  Egyptians  by  the  Syrians,  who  were  indescrib- 
ably cruel,  causing  a  revolt  of  the  Maccabees  in  168  B.  C, 
resulting  in  the  restoration  of  the  Jews  to  their  rightful 
possession  of  the  city  under  the  guardianship  of  the 
Asmonxan  princes.  Thus  it  is  seen  that  Jerusalem  has 
been  the  football  of  the  nations  down  through  the  cen- 
turies, kicked  and  destroyed  by  Egyptian,  Babylonian, 
Assyrian,  Persian,  and  Arabian  kings  in  rapid  succession ; 
but,  like  the  phoenix,  it  seemed  to  rise  anew  from  its  own 
ashes  as  soon  as  the  last  battering-ram  ceased  its  pound- 
ing. Jerusalem,  like  truth,  rises  again,  though  often 
crushed  to  earth.  Though  this  Jerusalem  be  destroyed 
again,  hope  does  not  vanish,  for  we  are  promised  a  New 
Jerusalem,  the  Heavenly  City,  through  whose  portals 
the  destroyer  can  not  pass. 


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O 

XIX. 
JERUSALEM— THE  HOLY  CITY. 

THE  .MOST  OFTEN  DESTROYED  AND  RKBUILT  CITY  IN  Till-. 
WORLD  —  THE  CRUSADES  —  JEWS'  WAILING  PLACE  — 
CHURCH  OF  THE  HOLY  SEPULCHLR — MOSQUE  OF  OMAR 
— GARDEN  OF  GETHSEMANE. 

In  tracing  the  history  of  Jerusalem  we  have  observed 
that  she  has  already  experienced  sufficient  vicissitudes 
for  a  dozen  cities,  but  her  record  of  ill  usage  seems  to  be 
without  end.  In  63  B.  C.  the  Romans  decided  to  mix 
their  history  with  the  Jews ;  consequently,  Pompey  set 
out  with  his  legions,  led  them  to  the  Holy  City,  captured 
it,  and  made  it  tributary  to  Rome.  Afterward  Cassus 
plundered  the  temple,  and  in  37  B.  C.  Herod  headed  a 
Roman  army,  took  the  city,  and  put  his  competitors  to 
death.  Herod  was  noted  for  his  heartlessness.  His  son 
succeeded  him  on  the  throne,  but  was  deposed,  where- 
upon Judea  became  a  Roman  province  in  connection 
with  Syria,  the  governor  being  called  a  procurator  and 
resided  at  Csesarea.  The  fifth  procurator  was  Pontius 
Pilate,  who  needs  no  introduction.  After  Pilate  was  ban- 
ished, other  procurators  were  appointed,  Felix  and  Pcstus 
of  Bible  history  being  among  them.  The  Jews  were  dis- 
satisfied, and  revolted  because  of  apparent  injustices.  To 
quell  this  revolt,  Titus,  who  was  in  Egypt,  set  out  in 
70  A.  D.  with  his  warriors  for  the  purpose  of  removing 
Jerusalem  from  the  map. 

259 


260  Around  the  World. 

"As  Titus  drew  near,  he  stationed  his  tenth  legion 
at  the  foot  of  the  Mount  of  Olives.  Taking  up  his  station 
about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  wall,  he  cast  a  trench 
about  the  city,  and  compassed  it  around,  and  kept  it  in 
on  every  side.  And  soon  famine  began  to  do  its  work 
more  effectually  than  the  sword  of  the  Romans.  During 
the  siege,  it  is  said,  one  hundred  and  fifteen  thousand 
bodies  had  been  buried  in  the  city  at  public  expense,  and 
the  Roman  general  wept  as  he  saw  the  misery.  Titus, 
it  was  well  known,  was  anxious  to  save  the  magnificent 
building  (the  temple),  hallowed  by  the  religious  associ- 
ations of  so  many  centuries ;  and  this  may  account  for  the 
slow  progess  of  the  victory.  But  on  this  fatal  evening  a 
soldier,  against  orders,  cast  a  brand  into  a  small  gilded 
doorway  on  the  north  side,  and  in  a  few  moments  the 
whole  temple  was  in  a  blaze.  Wildly  rose  the  uproar ; 
blazing  rafters  lighted  up  the  darkness,  while  all  around 
the  crackling  of  the  flames  and  the  crashing  of  the  falling 
roofs  mingled  with  the  shouts  of  the  victors  and  the  death- 
cry  of  the  Jews.  Titus  rushed  forth,  and  in  vain  gave 
orders  to  stay  the  conflagration.  His  soldiers  were  in  the 
holy  of  holies ;  they  seized  upon  the  treasures ;  not  even 
Roman  discipline  could  restrain  them,  and  "the  abomi- 
nation of  desolation"  took  possession  of  the  holy  place. 
When  the  flames  subsided,  nothing  was  left  of  the  temple 
but  a  small  portion  of  the  outer  cloister.  The  actual  de- 
struction of  the  temple — not  one  stone  left  upon  another — 
was  a  death-blow.  When  the  Romans  burst,  with  shouts 
of  triumph,  into  the  last  stronghold  of  their  enemies, 
they  found  little  but  silent  streets  and  houses  full  of  dead 
bodies."* 

Josephus  says,  "Those  who  lost  their  lives  in  the  siege 
and   the   massacre    which    had    preceded    it    in    this    war 

-Cook's  Palestine,  pp. 75,  76. 


Jerusalem — The  Holy  City.  261 

exceeded  one  million  three  hundred  thousand  people." 
Such  a  fate  should  have  been  expected;  for  the  prophet 
foresaw  what  was  pending  when  he  wrote,  "How  does 
the  city  sit  solitary,  that  was  full  of  people ;  how  is  she 
become  a  widow,  she  that  was  great  among  the  nations!" 
And  in  Matthew  xxiii,  37,  38,  observe  the  words  of  the 
world's  greatest  Christmas  Gift :  "O  Jerusalem,  Jeru- 
salem, thou  that  killest  the  prophets,  and  stonest  them 
which  are  sent  unto  thee,  how  often  would  I  have  gath- 
ered thy  children  together,  even  as  a  hen  gathereth  her 
chickens  under  her  wings,  and  ye  would  not !  Behold, 
your  house  is  left  unto  you  desolate." 

After  Titus  had  wrecked  the  city,  a  Roman  garrison 
was  left  to  guard  the  remains.  In  spite  of  the  Roman 
lancers  the  Jews  crept  back  and  inhabited  the  ruins ;  for 
to  the  Jew  no  spot  is  home  save  Jerusalem,  the  Holy 
City.  Bent  on  having  things  their  own  way,  the  Jews 
rebelled  against  Hadrian  in  134  A.  D.,  only  to  be  expelled 
again.  Hadrian  then  transformed  what  remained  into  a 
Roman  city,  and  built  magnificent  temples  and  palaces, 
naming  it  2E\ia  Capitolina,  one  temple  being  erected  to 
Jupiter  Capitolinus,  on  Mount  Moriah.  In  the  time  of 
Constantine  the  city  was  Christian,  but  in  614  the  Jews 
poured  into  the  transformed  city  in  great  numbers  under 
the  leadership  of  the  Persian  king  Chosroes  II,  and  en- 
deavored to  blot  out  every  vestige  of  the  Christian  sway 
by  destroying  churches  ami  putting  the  inhabitants  to  the 
sword.  After  a  short  interval  of  peace  dearly  bought, 
Heraclius  captured  this  football  city,  hut  went  down  be- 
fore the  advance  of  Caliph  Omar  in  637,  who  transformed 
it  into  the  sacred  city  of  the  Mohammedans.  In  the  place 
of  the  Jewish  and  pagan  temples  on  Mount  Moriah,  he 
built  the  Mosque  of  Omar,  a  splendid  structure.     In  688 


262  Around  the  World. 

the  old  mosque  was  demolished,  and  another  more  beau- 
tiful and  imposing  structure  was  erected  in  its  stead  by 
the  caliph  of  Damascus.  This  mosque  stands  to  this  day, 
and  is  called  the  Dome  of  the  Rock,  though  by  some  it  is 
erroneously  termed  the  Mosque  of  Omar. 

O  Jerusalem !  why  have  the  nations  coveted  you  ? 
When  you  were  only  a  buried  heap  of  rubbish,  like  Mem- 
phis and  Thebes,  why  did  not  the  powers  of  earth  permit 
von  to  rest  in  your  grave?  Why  build  and  rebuild,  cap- 
ture and  recapture  you?  Why  so  much  sought  by  the 
world's  lancers,  legions,  and  charioteers?  Why  so  popu- 
lar? Is  it  not  because  you  occupy  the  spot  of  all  spots  on 
earth  selected  by  the  World  Builder  where  the  greatest 
events  of  all  history  were  to  be  staged  ?  Was  it  not  here 
that  the  most  momentous  event  of  all  ages  was  to  occur — 
the  tragedy  of  the  crucifixion  of  the  Son  of  God?  In 
969  A.  D.  thou  didst  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  Egyptians, 
who  in  1077  lost  thee  to  the  Turks.  Fom  the  bloodthirsty 
Turk  thou  didst  suffer  untold  affliction  until  the  Christian 
world  was  aroused  and  decided  that  such  outrageous  bar- 
barism should  continue  no  longer.  Then,  in  1098,  from 
out  the  heart  of  Europe  that  first  crusade  poured  itself 
as  a  mighty  living  stream  bent  on  rescuing  thee  from  the 
thralldom  of  the  Crescent. 

Commanded  by  Godfrey  de  Bouillon,  the  fearless  cru- 
saders from  the  North  captured  you,  massacred  the  garri- 
son and  many  of  the  inhabitants,  and  secured  possession 
of  the  Holy  Sepulcher,  the  object  of  their  struggle.  God- 
frey was  made  your  king,  the  first  Christian  king  of 
Jerusalem.  His  successors  maintained  your  banners  on 
high  until  1 187,  when  the  brave  Guv  do  Lusignan  was 
overcome  by  Saladin  and  the  Mussulman  or  Moham- 
medan regained  the  much-coveted  city.  History  weeps 
as  it  recounts  the  fearful  losses  resulting  from  the  at- 


Jerusalem — The  Holy  City.  263 

tempts  of  courageous  men  to  rescue  thee  from  the  wither- 
ing hand  of  persecutors. 

Though  Peter  the  Hermit  perished  en  route  to  thy 
sacred  shrine ;  though  men  fought  under  Godfrey  de 
P.ouillon  and  Robert  of  Normandy  until  their  horses  waded 
in  blood  about  the  mosque,  yet  thou  didst  struggle  under 
the  oppressor's  lash.  Held  by  Saladin,  the  Christian  hosts 
of  Europe  again  mustered  under  Philip  of  France,  Rich- 
ard Cceur  de  Leon,  and  the  Emperor  Frederick  Barba- 
rossa,  in  1190,  to  rescue  the  Holy  Sepulcher  from  the  infi- 
del, but  the  emperor  fell  ere  he  reached  the  promised  land, 
while  Philip  and  Richard  joined  their  forces  in  the  cap- 
ture of  Acre,  besieged  Jaffa,  and  encamped  at  Lydda.  A 
peace  council,  while  permitting  the  Christians  to  hold  the 
coast  fortresses,  left  thee  still  in  cruel  hands,  the  only 
point  gained  by  the  Christians  being  the  privilege  of  mak- 
ing pilgrimages  to  thee  at  intervals. 

In  1 197,  behold  the  emperor  of  Germany  organizing 
a  crusade  to  see  that  the  scales  of  justice  might  be  used 
in  thy  management.  His  attempt  proving  fruitless,  a 
new  undertaking  under  the  Germans  and  Hungarians 
sets  out  in  1217,  but  the  force  of  its  armament  wears  itself 
out  in  Egypt  without  getting  sight  of  the  objective  point. 
The  pendulum  of  history  swings  slowly  on  till  1228,  when 
Frederick  II,  emperor  of  Germany,  enthused  with  zeal 
unconquerable,,  leads  an  expedition  which  wrests  thee 
from  thy  oppressors.  Peace  abides  only  for  a  season. 
In  1240  the  Mohammedans  again  appear  under  the  sultan 
of  Damascus,  and  take  everything  in  sight,  to  lose  it  again 
three  years  later  to  the  Christians.  But  Christians  and 
Moslems  are  overcome  in  1244  by  a  Tartar  horde  that 
sweeps  down  from  Central  Asia. 

Driven  from  their  homes  by  Genghis  Khan,  they  fall 
upon  Christian  and  Turk,  sparing  no  one  in  their  wild 


264  Around  the  World. 

fury.  These  savage  legions  are  driven  back  beyond  the 
Caspian  Sea  by  the  Egyptians  and  Syrians,  who  unite 
for  their  own  safety. 

The  Egyptians  and  Syrians  remain  victors  for  only  a 
short  time,  when  the  Mohammedans,  chiefly  from  Syria, 
organize  and  resolve  to  overcome  or  die,  fall  upon  the 
city  like  enraged  tigers,  and  take  the  holy  place  from 
which  they  had  been  driven  many  a  time. 

In  15 17  the  Ottoman  sultan,  Selim  I,  took  Jerusalem 
and  all  Syria  as  well  as  Egypt.  In  1542,  Solomon  the 
Magnificent  rebuilt  the  walls  of  the  city.  Overtaxation 
producing  a  revolt  from  the  Turkish  yoke  in  1825,  the 
citv  was  bombarded  and  brought  back  under  the  Turkish 
rule.  Jerusalem,  the  historic,  the  beautiful,  the  Holy 
City — thy  history  is  not  all  written.  A  conqueror  will 
some  day  batter  down  the  masonry  of  thy  Golden  Gate, 
and  deliver  thee  from  the  scepter  of  the  Crescent. 

All  Syria  became  subject  to  the  pasha  of  Egypt,  Me- 
hemet  Ali,  in  1832,  and  was  lost  to  Turkey  in  1840 
through  the  interference  of  England,  who  cannonaded 
Acre  and  assisted  the  sultan  in  holding  the  territory. 
England  ought  to  beg  the  pardon  of  the  nations  for  such 
a  caper  as  that. 

To  fully  present  Jerusalem  would  require  volumes,  as 
the  city  is  mentioned  eight  hundred  and  eighteen  times 
in  the  Bible.  Many  of  the  old  sites  mentioned  in  Biblical 
history  are  located  with  exactness,  while  others  are  pointed 
out  as  traditional  only. 

Being  often  destroyed,  Jerusalem  is  not  what  it  was. 
The  valleys  between  the  four  hills  upon  which  the  city 
was  originally  built  now  contain  the  wreckage  of  many  a 
former  city.  The  shovel  of  the  excavator  has  penetrated 
one  hundred  and  thirty  feet  below  the  present  surface  of 
the  ground,  reaching  through  a  series  of  buildings  one 


Jerusalem — The  Holy  City.  265 

above  another,  proving  that  each  later  city  has  been  lo- 
cated upon  the  ruins  of  its  predecessor.  Pacts  are  worth 
more  than  theories.  These  facts  almost  stagger  the  mind. 
Were  written  history  blotted  out  of  existence,  these  facts 
would  remain  permanently  imbedded  in  mother  earth  as 
undisputed  testimony  of  the  vicissitudes  visited  upon  this 
"city  that  is  compact  together." 

In  Psalm  xlviii,  12,  13,  is  the  following  exhortation: 
"Walk  about  Zion  and  go  round  about  her;  tell  the  towers 
thereof.  Mark  ye  well  her  bulwarks,  consider  her  palaces, 
that  ye  may  tell  it  to  the  generations  following."  I  made 
a  complete  circuit  of  the  city  alone  on  foot  one  morning 
before  sunrise,  and  in  the  circuit  I  entered  the  city  through 
each  of  its  open  gates.  The  Jaffa  Gate  is  first,  then  the 
Zion  Gate,  the  Dung  Gate,  the  Golden  Gate  (closed),  the 
St.  Stephen's  Gate,  the  Gate  of  Herod,  the  Damascus 
Gate,  and  the  New  Gate.  When  inside  the  Gate  of  Herod 
I  noticed  some  steps  leading  to  the  top  of  the  wall,  and, 
thinking  the  steps  were  made  for  use,  I  mounted  the  wall. 
After  I  had  finished  my  sight-seeing  from  that  height  I 
began  the  descent,  only  to  be  confronted  with  a  Turkish 
soldier,  who  seemed  in  a  furor  about  something.  I  soon 
learned  that  no  foreigner  was  permitted  on  the  walls,  lest 
the  city  might  be  taken  and  the  Turk  ousted.  Had  I 
taken  an  American  flag  with  me  I  might  have  waved  it 
aloft  over  that  Turkish  fortress,  and,  provided  with  a 
Catling  gun,  I  might  have  held  it  against  the  entire  gar- 
rison ;  for  I  had  already  scaled  the  walls  without  being 
noticed,  and  was  able  to  clear  myself  by  showing  my  vic- 
torious cane,  while  the  many-wived,  baggy-pantalooned 
soldier  under  the  Crescent  had  at  his  command  a  long- 
barreled  musket  that  might  have  seen  use  in  punching 
squirrels  out  of  overgrown   saplings.     Turkey  is  to  me 


266  Around  the  World. 

a  conundrum.  She  seems  to  be  decidedly  opposed  to 
progress — even  up  a  wall. 

When  people  come  to  market,  the  tax  collector  helps 
himself  first.  If  anything  is  left,  the  farmer  sells  it  for 
whatever  he  can  get.  Should  some  one  discover  a  spring 
of  living  water  among  the  hills  of  his  domain,  it  is  im- 
mediately covered  to  prevent  a  tax  being  levied  upon  it 
by  the  government.  For  several  years  the  people  about 
Jericho  failed  to  pay  their  taxes.  The  sultan  sent  an 
agent  to  learn  the  cash  price  asked  for  their  land.  They 
named  a  price,  which  was  accepted  by  the  sultan,  who, 
presenting  his  old  tax  list  as  so  much  cash,  compelled  the 
owners  to  vacate  as  the  sale  was  complete.  He  now  has 
an  agent  in  charge  who  collects  two  francs  (forty  cents) 
from  each  person  who  visits  Jericho,  the  Jordan,  and  the 
Dead  Sea.  A  mounted  escort  accompanies  each  party  to 
the  Jordan,  and  makes  sure  that  each  person  pays  the 
regulation  amount. 

I  had  read  much  about  the  Turks,  Arabs,  and  Bed- 
ouins being  difficult  to  get  along  with,  but  I  am  free  to 
say  that  I  do  not  believe  a  word  of  such  trash.  They 
may  be  quite  bothersome  to  those  who  are  afraid  of  them. 
Since  I  have  had  more  than  five  months'  experience  with 
the  Oriental,  I  know,  or  think  I  know,  how  to  deal  with 
him.  In  spite  of  what  I  have  read  about  these  people  I 
am  willing  to  record  that  they  are  as  easily  managed  as 
any  other  Eastern  people.  One  day,  when  riding  with 
three  other  persons  in  a  carriage,  a  fellow  demanded  back- 
sheesh. I  made  a  quick  move  as  if  to  step  from  the  car- 
riage to  give  him  the  soft  side  of  my  cane  when  he  at 
once  took  to  his  heels,  and  did  not  even  look  back  to  see 
if  I  were  coming  or  slacken  his  pace  until  one  hundred 
yards  away,  and  then  appeared  relieved  to  discover  that 
1  was  not  chasing  him. 


— 
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O 


Jerusalem — The  Holy  City.  267 

The  morning  I  walked  around  Jerusalem  I  sat  upon 
the  tomb  in  the  cemetery  near  the  wall  opposite  the  Gar- 
den of  Gethsemane  and  waited  for  the  sun  to  rise  over 
the  Mount  of  Olives.  At  6.50  it  rose  in  all  its  majesty 
as  if  it  might  have  sprung  out  of  the  Church  of  the  As- 
cension on  Olivet.  Clouds  endeavored  to  hide  it,  but 
they  were  not  equal  to  the  task.  What  a  reminder  this 
scene  was  of  that  other  event,  the  ascension  of  the  Sun 
of  righteousness  nearly  two  thousand  years  ago !  From 
this  beautiful  scene  I  looked  down  in  the  valley,  and  there, 
upon  the  Jericho  road  leading  to  Gethsemane,  I  saw  the 
lepers  with  stumps  for  arms,  hands  gone,  the  back  a  blotch 
of  decay,  eyes  sunken,  bodies  distorted  and  reeking  with 
leprous  evidence — each  crying,  "Backsheesh,  ya  howaja!" 
Near  by  are  others  who  are  not  lepers,  yet  they  would 
have  you  think  they  are.  Clothed  in  sackcloth  or  in  rags 
used  as  a  begging  costume  for  many  years,  and  handed 
down  from  generation  to  generation,  they  accost  you  with 
tears — in  some  cases  crocodile  tears — each  repeating  the 
staple  words,  the  oft-heard  and  never-to-be-forgotten 
words. 

Some  families  do  nothing  but  beg.  I  saw  a  woman 
whipping  a  little  child  to  compel  it  to  beg.  I  am  informed 
by  a  man  who  has  resided  here  ten  years  that  many  people 
who  are  well-to-do  dress  in  begging  attire  while  begging, 
and  bedeck  themselves  with  splendid  apparel,  ride  in  car- 
riages, and  become  lords  when  the  begging  hours  are 
over.  So  astute  are  they  in  preparing  themselves  in  their 
begging  garb  and  simulating  poverty  that  many  even  de- 
ceive their  own  acquaintances.  No  one  can  give  to  all, 
nor  should  one  do  so,  because  many  are  undeserving. 
Whenever  a  large  party  is  to  be  here,  not  only  all  the 
old  beds  and  carriages  are  drafted  into  service,  but  every 
beggar  for  miles  around  presents  himself  for  all  he  can 


268  Around  the  World. 

get  out  of  the  opportunity.  This  aggregation  of  beggars 
thus  gives  visitors  a  bad  impression  of  the  city.  Many 
visitors  are  pestered,  made  weary  and  homesick  on  ac- 
count of  the  multitude  of  begging  mortals.  Some  peo- 
ple evidently  think  they  must  give  a  coin  to  every  one 
that  asks,  lest  a  refusal  would  enrage  the  natives  and 
cause  them  to  be  thrown  into  the  Valley  of  Jehoshaphat 
or  otherwise  disabled. 

A  few  days  after  I  arrived  in  Jerusalem  a  party  of 
more  than  four  hundred  Americans  arrived  under  the 
management  of  F.  C.  Clark,  of  Xew  York  City.  The 
morning  after  their  arrival  I  was  returning  from  the 
Damascus  Gate  and  saw  two  members  of  the  party  being 
imposed  upon.  They  appeared  unable  to  take  their  own 
part,  whereupon  I  came  to  their  relief,  scattered  their 
adversaries,  and  was  looked  upon  most  gratefully  by  the 
newly-arrived  Americans  as  their  deliverer. 

The  population  of  Jerusalem  is  an  unknown  quantity. 
The  same  may  be  said  of  almost  any  Turkish  and  Chinese 
city.  Estimates  vary  from  sixty  thousand  to  seventy- 
five  thousand,  of  which  forty  thousand  are  said  to  be 
Jews. 

One  of  the  very  oldest  landmarks  in  Jerusalem  is 
the  citadel,  a  part  of  which  is  called  the  Tower  of  David, 
standing  to  the  right  of  the  Jaffa  Gate.  The  upper  part 
has  been  often  destroyed  and  rebuilt,  but  the  lower  part 
is  old  enough  to  deserve  the  appellation  ancient.  When 
Jesus  walked  the  streets  this  tower  was  a  silent  monster. 
Alongside  this  tower  a  breach  was  made  in  the  wall  in 
1898  for  the  special  purpose  of  permitting  the  German 
emperor  to  enter  the  city  in  a  carriage.  It  is  now  used 
as  much  as  the  original  Jaffa  Gate  entrance.  The  Jaffa 
Gate  is  never  closed ;  for  what  would  be  gained  by  clos- 
ing it  when  a  larger  opening  is  close  by?    Entering  the 


Jerusalem — The  Holy  City.  269 

walled  city  here,  the  thoroughfare  directly  ahead  is  David 
Street,  which  descends  rapidly,  terrace  after  terrace. 

Zion  Street  begins  near  the  Jaffa  Gate,  and  leads  to 
Zion  Gate  on  the  summit  of  Mount  Zion.  David  took 
this  height,  and  "David  dwelt  in  the  fort  and  called  it 
the  City  of  David."    (2  Sam.  v,  9.) 

Every  one  visits  the  Church  of  St.  James,  located  on 
Zion  Street,  for  it  is  here  tradition  declares  James  was 
beheaded.  "Herod  the  king  stretched  forth  his  hands 
to  vex  certain  of  the  Church,  and  he  killed  James,  the 
brother  of  John,  with  the  sword."    (Acts  xii,  2.) 

Near  the  Zion  Gate  is  a  ruin  called  the  Palace  of 
Caiaphas,  containing,  according  to  Greek  tradition,  the 
prison  of  Christ  and  the  stone  which  was  rolled  away 
from  the  sepulcher  by  the  angels.  The  stone  is  circular, 
and  is  about  the  right  size  to  have  been  used  at  the  mouth 
of  the  sepulcher  under  Gordon's  Golgotha,  but  I  am  by 
no  means  a  convert  to  Gordon's  theory. 

I  entered  the  prison  cell,  and  consider  it  built  for 
the  purpose  of  being  used  as  a  dungeon.  Everything 
has  its  place  here.  The  place  where  the  cock  stood 
when  it  gave  evidence  against  Peter  is  marked  by  a 
pillar. 

Near  this  spot  is  the  tomb  of  David.  The  kings  of 
Judah  "slept  with  their  fathers,  and  were  buried  in  the  City 
of  David.-'  The  next  room  to  the  tomb  is  the  Coenaculum, 
or  Chamber  of  the  Last  Supper.  The  room  is  fifty  by 
thirty  feet.  By  a  liberal  use  of  imagination  the  very 
spot  where  the  table  stood  and  where  Jesus  sat  has  been 
indicated,  and  is  pointed  out  to  every  visitor.  Beyond 
the  fact  that  this  is  the  traditional  site  there  is  nothing 
to  indicate  its  preferment  except  that  it  is  "a  large  upper 
room."  (Mark  xiv,  16.)  Here,  it  is  believed,  Peter 
preached  the  sermon  recorded  in  Acts  ii,  14-36.     Being 


270 


Around  the  World. 


the  next  room  to  the  tomb  of  David  and  connected  there- 
with by  a  small  opening,  intended  no  doubt  to  be  used 
in  watching  the  royal  sarcophagus,  Peter  could  well 
have  used  the  words  of  the  twenty-ninth  verse,  "And 
his  sepulcher  is  with  us  unto  this  day." 

I  shall  not  forget  the  sight  presented  at  the  Jews' 
Wailing  Place.  Here  the  Jews  assemble  to  weep  over 
the  destruction  of  the  temple.  Blocks  of  marble  four 
by  fifteen  feet,  a  part  of  the  celebrated  wall,  call  them 
hither;  for  at  this  point  they  are  sure  of  coming  in  con- 
tact with  the  old  Jewish  work.  No  mortar  was  used, 
and  the  huge  blocks  fit  so  perfectly  that  a  piece  of  paper 
can  not  be  inserted  between  the  courses.  Many  a  Jew 
has  come  here  with  hammer  and  nails,  and,  partly  by 
drilling,  has  succeeded  in  driving  a  few  nails  into  the 
marble  in  order  to  be  able  to  boast  of  having  added  some- 
thing to  the  original  wall.  Such  a  sort  of  weeping  and 
wailing  I  never  saw  or  heard  before.  They  stand  and 
kiss  the  walls  as  fast  as  they  possibly  can,  then  mourn- 
fully mumble  something  which  is,  of  course,  unintelligi- 
ble to  me.  Some  have  copies  of  the  Hebrew  Psalter  in 
hand,  from  which  they  read  as  they  move. to  and  fro 
like  an  old-fashioned  country  boy  speaking  his  first  piece 
on  Friday  afternoon  while  the  big  girls  laugh,  until 
their  turn  to  speak  comes,  when  they  forget,  and,  to  pass 
away  the  time  more  pleasantly,  get  red  in  the  face  and 
pucker  their  gingham  aprons  on  either  side,  as  if  pre- 
paring to  wade  in  deep  water. 

Many  people  visit  the  Jews'  Wailing  Place  on  Friday, 
but  others  prefer  Saturday  morning,  because  there  is 
usually  a  larger  number  of  Jews  engaged  in  the  business 
on  Saturday,  and,  further,  because  the  Jew  has  so  much 
reverence  for  the  day  (his  Sunday  or  Sabbath)  that  he 
will  not  make  life  miserable  for  his  observers  by  plying 


Jerusalem — The  Holy  City.  271 

his  begging  tactics.  Jerusalem  has  three  Sundays  or 
holy  days  each  week,  some  observing  Friday,  some  Sat- 
urday, and  still  others  Sunday.  Counting  these  Sun- 
days, I  am  told  that  Jerusalem  has  two  hundred  and  fifty 
holidays,  feasi  days,  and  holy  days  each  year,  enough 
to  swamp  an  empire. 

Near  the  Wailing  Place  is  the  beginning  of  an  arch 
which  once  connected  the  city  of  Zion  with  the  temple. 
It  is  named  Robinson's  Arch  in  honor  of  its  discoverer, 
who  is  an  American. 

Many  pilgrims  seemingly  delight  in  walking  up  and 
down  the  Via  Dolorosa,  the  street  Christ  is  supposed 
to  have  trod  bearing  the  heavy  cross.  It  leads  by  the 
government  house,  Pilate's  judgment  hall,  to  the  Church 
of  the  Holy  Sepulcher.  Fourteen  stations  are  marked 
along  this  traditional  street  of  pain,  indicating  the  sites 
of  the  various  incidents  connected  with  that  eventful 
day.  The  first  mark  is  at  the  barracks ;  the  second  is 
where  the  cross  was  laid  upon  Christ.  Near  here  is  the 
Ecce  Homo  Arch,  indicating  the  spot  where  the  Roman 
governor  said,  "Behold  the  Alan."  (John  xix,  5.)  The 
Church  of  the  Sisters  of  Zion  is  close,  and  should  be 
visited,  as  its  basement  contains  the  original  Roman 
pavement  with  marks  of  chariot  wheels  made  in  the  time 
of  Christ.  Further  down  the  street  is  the  Church  of 
Notre  Dame,  near  which  is  the  third  mark,  where  Christ 
is  said  to  have  fallen  under  the  weight  of  the  cross.  This 
point  is  also  near  the  traditional  house  of  Lazarus,  the 
poor  man.  Still  further  is  the  fourth  station,  where 
Jesus  met  his  mother.  The  house  of  Dives,  the  rich 
man,  is  next  pointed  out.  Stones  of  various  colors  are 
the  materials  out  of  which  this  house  was  built.  The 
fifth  station  marks  the  site  where  Simon  of  Cyrene  took 
the  cross  from  Christ,  because  He  was  no  longer  able 


272  Around  the  World. 

to  carry  it.  Other  markings  indicate  where  Christ  is 
said  to  have  leaned  as  He  rested  from  the  burden ;  where 
He  fell  the  second  time ;  where  He  addressed  the  women 
who  accompanied  him ;  where  He  sank  the  third  time 
under  the  weight  of  the  cross.  The  remaining  points 
are  within  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Sepulcher.  One  indi- 
cates where  the  Son  of  man  was  disrobed ;  where  He 
was  nailed  to  the  cross ;  where  the  cross  was  raised ; 
where  he  was  taken  down  from  the  cross ;  and  the  last 
one  is  by  the  Holy  Sepulcher. 

Let  us  enter  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Sepulcher,  built 
by  the  crusaders  in  1103  to  inclose  the  older  chapels.  I 
visited  it  time  and  again,  and  I  trust  that  you  are  suffi- 
ciently interested  in  this  most  sacred  place  of  all  the 
earth  to  accompany  me  as  I  endeavor  to  lead  yon.  This 
church  is  a  series  of  buildings  joined  together  in  one. 
On  entering  the  building  we  approach  the  stone  of  unc- 
tion upon  which  Christ  was  laid  for  the  anointing  when 
taken  from  the  cross.  This  rock  is  kissed  by  thousands 
as  they  come  and  go.  The  real  stone  or  slab  is  concealed 
by  a  slab  of  marble,  as  the  incessant  kissing  would  in 
time  wear  it  away  ;  hence  it  is  half-soled  on  the  upper 
part  as  a  means  of  protection. 

Candelabra  and  a  variety  of  lamps  hang  above  the 
stone.  Though  this  part  belongs  to  the  Latins,  they 
permit  the  Armenians,  Greeks,  and  Copts  to  join  them 
in  providing  lamps  and  holding  the  spot  sacred.  To 
the  northwest  is  a  railing  inclosing  a  stone  marking  the 
spot  where  Mary  stood  while  the  body  of  Jesus  was  be- 
ing anointed,  and  where  she  stood  watching  the  tomb, 
just  before  us  is  the  rotunda,  sixty-five  feet  in  diameter, 
in  the  center  of  which  stands  the  Holy  Sepulcher  within 
a  small  chapel  eighteen  feet  broad  and  twenty-six  feet 
long,  built  of  marble.     A  low  doorway  leads  to  it  through 


The  Church  of  thk  Holy  Sepulchre,  Jerusalem. 

(  Built  over  Mount  Calvary  and  the  Tomb  of  Christ. ) 


Jerusalem — The   Holy  City.  273 

a  vestibule  six  by  seven  feet  inside  measure.  In  the 
center  of  the  chapel  is  a  stone  set  in  marble,  said  to  be 
part  of  the  one  the  angel  rolled  away.  Here  fifteen 
lamps  are  kept  burning,  five  belonging  to  the  Greeks, 
five  to  the  Latins,  four  to  the  Armenians,  and  one  to  the 
Copts.  Passing  the  Angels'  Chapel  we  enter  the  sepul- 
cher  proper,  which  is  about  six  feet  square,  containing 
the  marble  sarcophagus  shown  as  the  tomb  of  Christ. 
Only  four  people  can  enter  at  one  time,  and  many  here 
weep,  kneel,  and  pray  most  fervently.  A  soldier  stands 
in  this  small  chapel  from  morning  till  night  to  protect 
this  sacred  place  from  the  relic-hunter  and  hand  of  the 
despoiler. 

To  the  north  of  the  sepulcher  is  a  Latin  vestibule  con- 
taining inlaid  marble  slabs  surrounding  a  central  stone, 
where  Mary  Magdalene  is  said  to  have  stood  when  Jesus 
said  to  her,  "Woman,  why  weepest  thou?"  and  ''she, 
supposing  Him  to  be  the  gardener,  said  unto  Him,  If 
thou  have  borne  Him  hence,  tell  me  where  thou  hast 
laid  Him,  and  I  will  take  Him  away."     (John  xx,   15.) 

Entering  the  Church  of  the  Latins,  we  notice  the 
Chapel  of  the  Apparition,  where  Jesus  appeared  to  Mary 
after  His  resurrection.  Connected  with  the  Latin  Church 
is  the  sacristy,  where  the  sword  and  spurs  of  Godfrey  de 
Bouillon  are  shown.  With  this  sword,  which  I  was 
permitted  to  handle,  he  is  said  to  have  cut  a  giant  Sara- 
cen in  two.  This  sword  is  used  to  girt  the  Knights  of 
St.  John  when  introduced  to  that  order.  The  prison 
and  bonds  of  Christ  are  shown,  also  the  Chapel  of  the 
Division  of  the  Vestments.  "And  when  they  had  cruci- 
fied Him,  they  parted  His  garments,  casting  lots  upon 
them  what  every  man  should  take."  (Mark  xv,  24.) 
Descending  twenty-nine  steps  the  Armenian  Chapel  of 
Helena  is  reached,  and  thirteen  steps  more  brings  us  to 


274  Around  the  World. 

the  Chapel  of  the  Finding-  of  the  Cross.  Retracing  our 
steps,  we  are  led  to  the  Greek  Chapel  of  the  Crown  of 
Thorns.  "The  soldiers  platted  a  crown  of  thorns,  and 
placed  it  on  His  head,  and  they  put  on  Him  a  purple 
robe,  and  said,  Hail,  King  of  the  Jews !  and  they  smote 
Him  with  their  hands."    (John  xix,  2,  3.) 

Ascending  a  flight  of  eighteen  steps,  we  arrive  at 
Calvary,  the  upper  Chapel  of  the  Crucifixion,  which  is 
fourteen  and  one-half  feet  above  the  Chapel  of  the  Holv 
Sepulcher.  "And  when  they  were  come  to  the  place, 
which  is  called  Calvary,  there  they  crucified  Him,  and 
the  malefactors,  one  on  the  right  hand,  and  the  other  on 
the  left."  (Luke  xxiii,  33.)  Three  holes  are  pointed 
out  as  the  sockets  for  the  three  crosses.  Under  Calvary 
is  the  Chapel  of  Golgotha,  the  word  Golgotha  meaning 
a  skull.  Near  the  altar  on  Calvary  is  a  long  brass  cover 
over  a  rent  in  the  rock,  said  to  have  been  made  at  the 
time  of  the  crucifixion.  "The  earth  did  quake,  and  the 
rocks  rent,  and  the  graves  were  opened,  and  many  bodies 
of  the  saints  which  slept,  arose."  (  Matt,  xxvii,  51,  52.) 
Near  by  is  the  Latin  Chapel  of  St  Mary,  said  to  be  the 
spot  where  Mary  and  the  disciple  stood  at  the  time  of 
the  crucifixion,  when  the  following  conversation  took 
place:  "Now  there  stood  by  the  cross  of  Jesus  His 
mother,  and  His  mother's  sister,  Mary,  the  wife  of  Cleo- 
phas,  and  Mary  Magdalene.  When  Jesus  therefore  saw 
His  mother,  and  the  disciple  standing  by,  whom  He 
loved,  He  saith  unto  His  mother,  Woman,  behold  tin- 
son.  Then  saith  He  to  the  disciple,  Behold  thy  mother. 
And  from  that  hour  that  disciple  took  her  unto  his  own 
home."     (John  xix,  25-27.) 

Concerning  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Sepulcher  I  shall 
not  multiply  particulars.  That  it  occupies  the  original 
site  I  have  no  doubt  whatever.     General  Gordon  came 


The  Holy  Sepulchre. 

i  Entrance  to  the  Chapel  of  the  Angels,  leading  to  the  tomb,  being  appa- 
rently almost  blocked  by  a  marble  pedestal  bearing  a  piece  of 
stone  believed  to  be  a  fragment  from  the  original  stone 
which  was  rolled  away  by  the  angels. ) 


Jerusalem — The  Holy  City.  275 

here  not  many  years  ago,  evidently  desiring  notoriety, 
and  set  out  to  find  another  Golgotha.  The  place  selected 
by  him  is  outside  the  city  walls.  A  tomb  called  the  Gar- 
den Tomb  is  at  its  base,  which  I  gave  a  thorough  ex- 
amination, as  I  did  the  Holy  Sepulcher.  The  task  of 
discerning  in  Gordon's  Golgotha  a  likeness  to  a  skull 
puts  the  imagination  to  a  severe  test.  In  short,  I  am  of 
the  opinion  that  the  place  was  selected  more  because  it 
was  outside  the  wall  than  because  it  resembled  a  skull. 

Many  people  come  here  and  accept  the  Gordon  Gol- 
gotha in  a  moment,  considering"  it  to  be  the  true  site, 
and  present  their  arguments  therefor  as  conclusive,  defy- 
ing contradiction.  Upon  this  hill  many  a  clergyman 
stands,  reads  the  Bible  narrative,  and  is  satisfied  that 
Gordon  was  right.  The  arguments  in  its  favor  are,  that 
it  is  higher  than  its  competitor ;  it  is  outside  the  present 
Damascus  Gate ;  it  has  a  rock  tomb  at  its  base  in  a  gar- 
den ;  it  is  near  the  Jericho  road,  and  could  have  been 
witnessed  by  a  large  concourse  of  people ;  and  the  imag- 
ination may  observe  its  resemblance  to  a  huge  skull. 
But,  to  my  mind,  the  arguments  for  the  site  covered  by 
the  church  are  the  weightier.  However,  literal  accuracy 
is  not  claimed  for  the  various  points  shown  in  the  church. 
Many  of  them  are  chosen  as  simply  commemorative  of 
the  events  with  which  they  are  associated.  No  one 
would  be  foolish  enough  to  claim  that  Mary  actually 
stood  at  any  particular  spot  as  she  observed  the  tragedy 
of  centuries — Christ  on  the  cross.  One  should  remem- 
ber that  these  points  are  chosen  as  likely  only,  without 
laying  claim  to  literal  accuracy.  Approaching  with  such 
a  spirit,  much  can  be  overlooked. 

Since  a  section  of  the  old  wall  and  the  old  Damascus 
Gate  have  been  recently  unearthed,  it  is  proven  con- 
clusively that  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Sepulcher  is  out- 


276  Around  the  World. 

side  the  original  wall,  though  within  the  present  walled 
area.  This  makes  the  site  of  the  Holy  Sepulcher  accord 
with  Scripture.  "Wherefore  Jesus  also,  that  He  might 
sanctify  the  people  with  His  own  blood,  suffered  without 
the  gate."     (Heb.  xiii,  12.) 

"The  place  where  Jesus  was  crucified  was  nigh  unto 
the  city."  (John  xix,  20.)  "Now  in  the  place  where 
He  was  crucified  there  was  a  garden ;  and  in  the  garden 
was  a  new  sepulcher,  wherein  was  never  man  yet  laid. 
There  laid  they  Jesus  therefore,  because  of  the  Jews' 
preparation  day;  for  the  sepulcher  was  nigh  at  hand." 
(John  xix,  42.) 

Since  the  discovery  of  the  aforesaid  wall  and  gate 
there  is  less  argument  against  the  site.  Tradition  de- 
clares it  to  be  the  site.  Position  speaks  for  it  with  all 
its  might.  Godfrey  de  Bouillon,  the  first  Christian  king 
of  Jerusalem,  favored  this  site,  as  did  Baldwin,  his  suc- 
cessor. The  Princess  Helena  came  here  in  330  A.  D. 
with  thirty  of  the  able  scholars  of  the  day,  who  searched 
everywhere  and  decided  on  the  site  occupied  by  the 
Church  of  the  Holy  Sepulcher.  What  more  evidence 
would  any  one  demand  than  that  afforded  by  the  union 
of  tradition  and  position,  together  with  the  corroborative 
testimony  of  the  excavator's  shovel  ?  Among  the  ardent 
supporters  of  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Sepulcher  as  the 
true  site  of  Calvary  are  the  following  eminent  author- 
ities: Buckingham,  Schick,  Schubert,  Elliott,  Williams, 
Lewin,  Willis,  and  Gray.  A  spirit  of  reverence  seizes 
upon  both  saint  and  sinner  as  they  approach  this  sacred 
shrine  where  millions  have  worshiped,  believing  that 
here  the  Son  of  God  was  crucified,  that  here  He  was 
buried,  and  that  this  spot  witnessed  that  most  tremen- 
dous of  all  events  known  to  history, — the  resurrection  of 
the  Sun  of  righteousness. 


Jerusalem — The  Holy  City.  277 

With  the  one  exception  of  the  Church  of  the  Holy 
Sepulcher,  no  other  building  is  of  such  interest  as  the 
Dome  of  the  Rock,  though  it  belongs  to  the  Moham- 
medans. 

"Where  once  stood  the  temple  designed  by  King  Da- 
vid, and  executed  by  Solomon,  rebuilt  and  restored  by 
Zerubbabel  and  Herod,  is  now  the  Moslem  shrine  called 
the  "Dome  of  the  Rock,"  but  sometimes  erroneously  called 
the  Mosque  of  Omar.  It  occupies  a  part  of  the  spacious 
area  known  as  the  Haram  Esh-Sherif,  "The  Noble  Sanc- 
tuary," and  stands  on  a  raised  platform  or  terrace. 

The  Dome  of  the  Rock  stands  upon  the  summit  of 
Mount  Moriah — tradition  says  on  the  very  spot  where 
Oman  had  his  threshing  floor;  where  Abraham  offered 
up  Isaac ;  where  David  interceded  for  the  plague-stricken 
people ;  and  where  the  Jewish  temple,  the  glory  of  Israel, 
stood.  No  one  can  stand  before  this  magnificent  build- 
ing, with  its  colored  tiles  and  marbles  glistening  in  the 
sunlight,  as  once  the  goodly  stones  of  the  temple  shone 
before  the  eyes  of  the  disciples,  and  not  be  moved  with 
strong  emotion.  One's  thoughts  rush  away  to  the  past, 
when  psalmists  wrote  and  patriots  sung  of  the  temple's 
glory.  Hither  the  tribes  came  up;  here  shone  forth  the 
light  of  the  Shekinah  ;  here  was  the  center  of  the  re- 
ligious, the  poetical,  and  the  political  life  of  God's  chosen 
nation.  And  then  one  thinks  of  the  defeats  and  disasters 
consequent  upon  disobedience ;  how  glory  after  glory 
vanished,  until  alien  powers  desolated  and  utterly  de- 
stroyed the  holy  place.  One  thinks  of  devout  Jews  in 
every  land,  oppressed  and  burdened,  turning  towards 
this  sacred  site,  and  remembering  it  with  tears  as  they 
pray  for  restoration  to  their  land.  Above  all,  the  Chris- 
tian thinks  of  the  little  Child  presented  in  its  court  by 
the  Holy  Mother;  of  the  Youth  asking  and  answering 


278  Around  the  World. 

questions;  the  Divine  Man,  "teaching  and  preaching  the 
things  concerning  Himself."*  It  is  surrounded  by  a  wall 
1,601  feet  long  on  the  west,  1,530  feet  on  the  east,  1,024 
on  the  north,  and  922  on  the  south.  Entering  by  the 
main  gate,  we  have  on  the  right  hand  the  Mosque  El- 
Aksa,  and  before  us  are  steps  leading  up  to  the  Dome 
of  the  Rock.  The  building  has  eight  sides,  each  sixty- 
eight  feet  long,  and  four  doors  to  the  north,  south,  east, 
and  west.  The  whole  is  covered  with  richly-colored  por- 
'celain  tiles,  and  a  frieze  of  tiles  runs  round  the  whole 
building,  upon  which  are  written  passages  from  the 
Koran. 

The  interior  of  the  Dome  of  the  Rock  is  gloomy, 
and  sometimes  so  dark  that  one  should  wait  until  the 
eye  grows  accustomed  to  it.  It  has  two  cloisters,  sep- 
arated by  an  octagonal  course  of  piers  and  twelve  Corin- 
thian columns,  which  support  the  great  dome.  The 
thirty-six  stained-glass  windows,  which  are  of  a  great 
brilliancy  and  beauty,  date  from  the  fifteenth  century. 
The  arches  are  covered  with  glass  mosaics,  over  which 
are  inscribed  portions  of  the  Koran,  as  on  the  outer 
walls  of  the  building,  and  these  are  dated  692  A.  D.  The 
dome  is  ninety-eight  feet  high  and  seventy-five  in  diame- 
ter, and  is  composed  of  wood.  It  was  restored  by  Sala- 
din  in  1 189  A.  D. 

The  sacred  rock  is  immediately  beneath  the  dome.  It 
is  a  bare,  rugged,  unhewn  piece  of  rock  about  sixty  feet 
long  and  forty-five  wide.  The  rock  stands  four  feet  six 
and  one-half  inches  above  the  marble  pavement  at  its 
highest  point,  and  one  foot  its  lowest. 

Many  legends  hang  about  the  rock.  Here,  accord- 
ing to  the  Jews,  Melchizedek  offered  sacrifice,  Abraham 
brought  his  son  Isaac  as  an  offering,  and  the  Ark  of  the 


♦Cook's  Palestine,  pp.  94,  95. 


c 

V. 

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Jerusalem — The  Holy  City.  279 

Covenant  stood.  Descending  by  eleven  steps  we  enter 
the  cave  below  the  rock,  which  has  an  average  height  of 
six  feet. 

I  have  seen  finer  buildings,  but  none  having  so  many 
sacred  associations  as  this,  which  is  second  only  to  the 
Church  of  the  Holy  Sepulcher.  If  all  else  associated  with 
this  mosque  were  removed,  that  historic  rock'  would  af- 
ford sufficient  interest  to  call  hither  earth's  pilgrims. 

Having  devoted  considerable  space  to  the  great 
mosque,  I  shall  omit  a  description  of  the  lesser  mosque 
known  as  Mosque  El-Aksa.  A  visit  to  it  should  by  no 
means  be  omitted  by  the  visitor.  At  this  mosque,  as 
well  as  in  almost  every  place  hallowed  with  sacred  memo- 
ries, places  are  pointed  out  by  the  dragoman  that  are  as 
absurd  as  impossible ;  such  as  the  footprints  of  certain 
historic  characters  made  in  the  rock.  Irresponsible  as 
well  as  ignorant  dragomans  do  much  harm  by  perpetuat- 
ing such  childlike  vagaries.  Guide-books  are  primarily 
to  be  blamed ;  for  guides  finding  such  references  in  guide- 
books, delight  to  keep  these  stories  afloat,  thinking  they 
will  please  tourists. 

Leaving  the  mosque,  I  descended  by  thirty-two  steps 
to  the  vaulted  chamber  where  Simon  dwelt,  and  on  far- 
ther to  Solomon's  stables,  a  vast  cavern  of  vaulted  and 
pillared  avenues.  "Solomon  had  forty  thousand  stalls 
of  horses  for  his  chariots."  (1  Kings  iv,  26.)  The 
Knights  Templars  used  these  vaults  as  stables.  The 
rings  to  which  their  horses  were  tied  are  still  shown. 
Xot  a  piece  of  wood  can  be  observed  in  what  is  called 
Solomon's  stables,  being  built  and  arched  over  with  rock. 

Outside  the  wall  of  Jerusalem  is  the  Valley  of  Jehosh- 
aphat,  or  Kidron,  where  the  Jews  and  the  Moslems 
bun-  their  dead,  for  they  want  to  be  near  at  hand  when 
the  world  is  judged.     ''Let  the  heathen  be  wakened  and 


280  Around  the  World. 

come  up  to  the  Valley  of  Jehoshaphat,  for  there  will  I 
sit  to  judge  all  the  heathen  round  about."  (Joel  iii,  12.) 
"I  will  gather  all  nations  and  bring  them  down  into  the 
valley  of  Jehoshaphat."  A  later  name  for  this  valley  is 
Kidron.  The  Mohammedans  have  borrowed  this  valley 
and  also  regard  it  as  the  scene  of  the  last  judgment. 

Near  the  garden  of  Gethsemane  a  road  branches  into 
the  valley  and  passes  the  tomb  of  Absalom.  This  tomb 
is  nineteen  feet  square  and  twenty-one  feet  high.  On 
account  of  Absalom's  disobedience  the  Jews,  on  passing 
this  point,  seldom  fail  to  hurl  stones  at  the  tomb.  The 
second  time  I  encircled  the  city,  I  rode  a  donkey.  A 
donkey-driver  always  accompanies  each  person  to  keep 
the  donkey  in  the  notion  of  making  more  than  snail 
time  by  the  copious  use  of  a  raw  persuader.  On  reach- 
ing Absalom's  tomb  a  stone  was  hurled  into  the  tomb. 
I  dismounted  (which  brought  my  cap  only  slightly 
nearer  terra  firma),  and  clambered  about  the  tomb  and 
found  the  interior  nearly  full  of  stones  and  pebbles  thrown 
thither  by  irate  Jews.  The  front  of  the  tomb  is  much 
worn  by  centuries  of  rock  hurling. 

Behind  the  tomb  of  Absalom  is  the  tomb  of  Jehosha- 
phat. A  few  yards  further  down  the  valley  is  the  Grotto 
of  St.  James,  a  grotto  containing  shaft  tombs.  Close 
by  is  the  Pyramid  of  Zacharias,  which,  like  the  tomb  of 
Absalom,  is  hewn  in  the  solid  rock.  It  is  sixteen  feet 
square  and  twenty-nine  feet  high.  Here  are  many  rock- 
tombs,  beyond  which  is  the  village  of  Siloah.  A  mono- 
lith at  the  village  entrance  bears  the  inscription,  "Tomb 
of  Pharaoh's  Daughter." 

Between  the  village  and  the  city  wall  is  St.  Mary's 
Well,  sometimes  called  the  Fountain  of  the  Virgin.  Two 
nights  of  steps  lead  down  to  it,  twenty-nine  steps  in  all. 
Inside  it  is  ten  by  eleven  feet.    Being  outside  the  wall  it 


Jerusalem — The  Holy  City.  281 

was  concealed  to  prevent  Jerusalem's  many  enemies  from 
finding  it  and  poisoning  the  water  supply  of  the  city. 
From  St.  Mary's  Well  a  channel,  cut  through  solid  rock, 
probably  by  Hezekiah,  leads  to  the  Pool  of  Siloam,  the 
well  and  the  pool  being  1728  feet  apart.  This  sacred 
pool  is  fifty-three  by  eighteen  feet  and  nineteen  feet  deep. 
"He  anointed  the  eyes  of  the  blind  man  witli  clay,  and 
said  unto  him.  Go,  wash  in  the  pool  of  Siloam.  He  went 
his  way  therefore,  and  washed,  and  came  seeing."  (John 
ix,  6,  7.)  The  King's  Garden  was  here  mentioned  by 
Nehemiah  (iii,  15)  as  being  "near  the  pool  of  Siloah." 
My  donkey  was  glad  to  stand  tied  loose  here  while  I 
descended  into  the  aqueduct  cut  by  Hezekiah  700  B.  C. 
There  is  much  controversy  as  to  the  Pool  of  Gihon. 
A I  any  identify  it  with  tile  pool  west  of  the  Jaffa  Gate, 
which  is  connected  with  the  Pool  of  Hezekiah  by  an 
aqueduct  passing  under  the  city  wall  near  the  Jaffa  Gate. 

The  Valley  of  Hinnom  lies  between  Zion  and  the  Hill 
of  Evil  Counsel.  It  was  here  that  children  were  once 
sacrificed  to  Moloch.     (Jer.  xii,  31:2  Kings  xxiii,  10.) 

Leaving  Jerusalem  by  the  Damascus  Gate,  we  reach 
the  Tombs  of  the  Kings,  a  short  distance  to  the  north. 
These  catacombs,  hewn  from  the  solid  rock,  have  some 
well-preserved  circular  stones,  such  as  must  have  been 
used  at  the  tomb  of  Christ,  and  should  be  visited  if  for 
no  other  purpose  than  to  observe  this  one  point.  Jose- 
phus  has  much  to  say  about  these  catacombs,  to  whom 
and  to  other  works  on  the  subject  I  refer  my  readers  for 
particulars  should  they  delight  in  preparing  to  dream 
about  rock-hewn  cities  of  the  dead. 

Near  the  St.  Stephen's  Gate  is  the  Church  of  St. 
Anne,  founded  in  the  sixth  century,  rebuilt  in  the  twelfth, 
turned  into  a  school  by  Saladin,  and  presented  in  1856 
by  the  sultan  to  the  French  emperor,  Napoleon  III.     ft 


282  Around  the  World. 

is  supposed  to  mark  the  dwelling-place  of  St.  Anne,  the 
mother  of  the  Virgin ;  and  is  regarded  as  the  birthplace 
of  the  Holy  Mother  and  the  burial-place  of  her  father, 
Joachim.  Near  this  place  is  the  Pool  of  Bethesda,  called 
the  "Inner  Pool."  Here  it  was  that  the  impotent  man 
having  no  man,  when  the  water  was  toubled,  to  put  him 
into  the  pool,  received  those  never-to-be-forgotten  words 
from  Christ,  "Rise,  take  up  thy  bed,  and  walk."  (John 
v,  1-9.)  Oriental  travel  will  make  plain  to  one  the  state- 
ment, "take  up  thy  bed."  I  am  reasonably  sure  that  I 
can  walk  up  Pike's  Peak  with  all  the  beds  required  for 
the  accommodation  of  half  a  dozen  Orientals. 

Near  the  Damascus  Gate  is  the  Grotto  of  Jeremiah, 
where,  tradition  claims,  he  wrote  the  Book  of  Lamen- 
tations, and  where  he  was  buried.  Just  opposite  the 
Grotto  of  Jeremiah  are  Solomon's  Quarries,  where  the 
stone  used  in  building  the  temple  was  secured.  "The 
house,  when  it  was  building,  was  built  of  stone  made 
ready  before  it  was  brought  thither,  so  that  neither  ham- 
mer nor  ax,  nor  any  tool  of  iron  was  heard  in  the  house 
while  it  was  building."     (1  Kings  vi,  7.) 

Shall  we  visit  the  Mount  of  Olives,  that  elevation 
sacred  to  every  one?  Here  it  is  I  love  to  linger.  Visit- 
ing it  day  after  day.  its  charm  increases  its  grasp  upon 
me.  Mount  of  Olives,  I  love  you.  Here  Christ  was 
wont  to  linger.  Here  He  crossed  time  and  again,  going 
from  Bethany  to  Jerusalem.  In  this  garden  at  my  feet 
He  shed  tears  and  sweat  drops  of  blood  ;  but  the  people 
would  not  do  and  be  what  He  yearned  to  have  them  do 
and  be.  Here  was  sung  that  first  Christian  hymn  of  de- 
votion, "Hosanna  to  the  Son  of  David.  Blessed  is  He 
that  cometh  in  the  name  of  the  Lord.  Hosanna,  peace, 
glory  in  the  highest !"  And  as  He  passed  down  toward 
Jerusalem,  it  is  easy  to  determine  to  one's   satisfaction 


Jerusalem — The  Holy  City.  283 

where  He,  "when  He  beheld  the  city,  wept  over  it."  De- 
scribing- this  point  Stanley  wrote :  "Immediately  below 
was  the  Valley  of  the  Kidron,  here  seen  in  its  greatest 
depth  as  it  joins  the  Valley  of  Hinnom,  and  thus  giving 
full  effect  to  the  great  peculiarity  of  Jerusalem  seen  only 
on  its  eastern  side,  its  situation  as  of  a  city  rising  out  of 
a  deep  abyss." 

On  the  summit  of  Olivet  is  a  church  sometimes  called 
the  Church  of  the  Ascension,  as  it  stands  at  the  tradi- 
tional site  from  which  Christ  ascended  to  heaven.  This 
building,  though  in  possession  of  the  Moslems,  has  prayer 
recesses  for  the  Armenians,  Copts,  Syrians,  and  Greeks. 
From  the  minaret  a  splendid  view  is  obtainable,  embrac- 
ing Jerusalem,  Bethlehem,  Bethany,  the  Jordan,  and 
Dead  Sea.  The  Dead  Sea  is  visible  from  the  summit 
of  the  mount  without  ascending  the  minaret. 

The  Latins  possess  several  important  posts  on  the 
Mount  of  Olives.  One  is  the  Church  of  the  Creed,  where 
the  Apostles'  Creed  was  supposed  to  have  been  prepared. 
Near  the  Church  of  the  Creed  is  the  Church  of  the  Lord's 
Prayer,  the  traditional  site  where  Christ  taught  the  dis- 
ciples the  Lord's  Prayer.  Here  the  Lord's  Prayer  is 
carved  upon  slabs  of  marble  in  thirty-two  languages. 
These  slabs  are  hung  like  so  many  pictures  upon  the 
wall  of  the  interior.  Here  I  am  reminded  that  the  Bible 
is  in  the  world  as  a  permanent  institution,  and  that  if 
every  Bible  were  burned,  its  teachings  would  remain, 
as  every  verse  from  Genesis  to  Revelation  has  been 
quoted  and  copied  in  books,  making  it  possible  to  re- 
produce it  from  the  world's  libraries. 

Among  the  many  points  of  great  interest  about  the 
Mount  of  Olives  is  the  Chapel  of  the  Tomb  of  the  Vir- 
gin. This  chapel  is  reached  by  descending  a  flight  of 
forty-seven  marble  steps.     The  only  part  of  the  church 


284  Around  the  World. 

above  ground  is  the  porch.  Numerous  lamps  are  kept 
burning  in  the  several  wings.  The  guide  points  out 
Joseph's  tomb,  the  sarcophagus  of  Mary,  the  altars  of 
the  Greeks,  Armenians,  Abyssinians,  and  the  recess  of 
the  Moslems.  South  of  the  Tomb  of  the  Virgin  is  the 
Garden  of  Gethsemane,  comprising  about  one-third  of 
an  acre,  surrounded  by  a  stone  wall,  and  in  possession 
of  the  Latins.  The  Franciscans  keep  the  gate,  having 
the  lock  and  key  in  their  possession.  I  shall  never  for- 
get my  sojourn  in  this  garden,  hallowed  by  the  most 
sacred  associations.  "When  Jesus  had  spoken  these 
words,  He  went  forth  with  His  disciples  over  the  brook 
Kidron,  where  was  a  garden,  into  which  He  entered  and 
His  disciples.  And  Tildas  also,  which  betrayed  Him,  knew 
the  place ;  for  Jesus  ofttimes  resorted  thither  with  His 
disciples."     (John  xviii,  1,  2.) 

"Then  cometh  Jesus  with  them  unto  a  place  called 
Gethsemane,  and  saith  to  His  disciples,  Sit  ye  here,  while 
I  go  and  pray  yonder.  And  He  took  with  Him  Peter 
and  the  two  sons  of  Zebedee,  and  began  to  be  sorrowful 
and  very  heavy.  Then  said  He  unto  them,  My  soul  is 
exceedingly  sorrowful,  even  unto  death;  tarry  ye  here, 
and  witch  with  Me.  And  He  went  a  little  farther,  and  fell 
on  His  face,  and  prayed,  saying,  O  My  Father,  if  it  be 
possible,  let  this  cup  pass  from  Me;  nevertheless,  not 
as  I  will,  but  as  Thou  wilt.  And  He  cometh  unto  His 
disciples  and  findeth  them  asleep,  and  saith  unto  Peter, 
What,  could  ye  not  watch  with  Me  one  hour?  Watch 
and  pray  that  ye  enter  not  into  temptation :  the  spirit 
indeed  is  willing,  but  the  flesh  is  weak. 

"After  1  Ee  had  prayed  the  second  and  third  time,  find- 
ing them  asleep  on  each  return,  He  said :  Sleep  on  now, 
and  take  your  rest :  behold,  the  hour  is  at  hand,  and  the 
Son  of  man  is  betrayed  into  the  hands  of  sinners.     Rise, 


Russian  Greek  Church  on  the  Mount  of  Olives. 

(The  Garden  of  Gethsemane  lying  between  this  Church 
and  the  Wall  of  Jerusalem. ) 


Jerusalem — The  Holy  City.  285 

let  us  be  going':  behold,  he  is  at  hand  that  doth  betray 
Me."     (Matt,  xxvi,  36-46.) 

It  may  well  be  said  of  this  place,  "Take  off  thy  shoes 
from  off  thy  feet,  for  the  place  whereon  thou  standest 
is  holy  ground." 

Just  over  the  brow  of  the  hill  is  Bethany,  the  home 
of  Mary  and  Martha,  where  Jesus  delighted  to  visit, 
doubtless  because  there  He  was  most  welcome.  "Now, 
Jesus  loved  Martha  and  her  sister  and  Lazarns."  (John 
xi,  5.)  Here  it  was  that  He  raised  Lazarus  from  the 
dead.  I  visited  the  tomb  of  Lazarus  by  descending  twen- 
ty-five steps  cut  in  the  rock.  "Now,  Bethany  was  nigh 
unto  Jerusalem,  about  fifteen  furlongs  off  [two  miles]. 
Then  Martha,  as  soon  as  she  heard  that  Jesus  was  com- 
ing, went  and  met  Him ;  but  Mary  sat  still  in  the  house." 
(John  xi,  18-20.) 

Men  have  been  so  sure  about  positions  that  they  have 
even  erected  a  splendid  church  upon  the  spot  where 
Martha  is  supposed  to  have  met  Jesus.  The  home  of 
Mary  and  Martha  is  now  a  ruin.  Olive-trees  are  almost 
everywhere.  Those  within  the  inclosure  of  the  Garden  of 
Gethsemane  appear  old  enough  to  have  been  here  when 
time  was  young,  but  experts  are  authority  for  the  state- 
ment that  one  of  eight  is  at  least  one  thousand  years  old, 
and  doubtless  sprang  from  the  roots  of  a  tree  that  flour- 
ished in  the  time  of  Christ. 


XX. 

JERUSALEM  TO  JERICHO  AND  BETHLEHEM. 

JERICHO,  THE  "CITY  OF  PALM-TREES" — EUSHA's  SPRING — 
RUINS  OF  THE  ANCIENT  CITY — DEAD  SEA  AND  THE 
JORDAN — SODOM  AND  GOMORRAH — BETHLEHEM,  THE 
CHURCH  OF  THE  NATIVITY — RACHEl/S  TOMB — THE 
EAND  OF  BOAZ  AND  RUTH. 

Leaving  Jerusalem  via  the  Garden  of  Gethsemane 
and  Bethany,  the  road  to  Jericho  is  traversed.  No  one 
could  get  lost  on  this  road,  as  no  roads  branch  from  it. 
Traveling  to  Jericho  we  pass  the  Apostles'  Spring,  an- 
ciently called  En-Shemish,  Spring  of  the  Sun,  on  the 
boundary  between  Judah  and  Benjamin.  (Joshua  xv,  7.) 

The  next  point  of  importance  is  the  traditional  scene 
of  the  parable  of  the  Good  Samaritan,  who  rescued  the 
person  who  was  going  down  from  Jerusalem  to  Jericho 
and  fell  among  thieves.  Further  eastward  the  road  leads 
alongside  the  brook  Cherith,  where  Elijah  was  fed  by  the 
ravens.  "Get  thee  hence,  and  turn  thee  eastward,  and 
hide  thyself  by  the  brook  Cherith,  that  is  before  Jordan. 
And  it  shall  be  that  thou  shalt  drink  of  the  brook ;  and  I 
have  commanded  the  ravens  to  feed  thee  there."  (1 
Kings  xvii,  3,  4.) 

A  monastery  has  been  built  down  by  the  rippling 
water  between  the  towering  rocks  where  Elijah  is  sup- 
posed to  have  spent  the  time  of  his  waiting. 

Descending  the  hill  before  Jericho,  we  pass  the  Pool 

286 


Jerusalem  to  Jericho  and  Bethlehem.  287 

of  Moses,  whose  walls  are  of  unhewn  stones.  This  pool 
is  five  hundred  and  sixty-four  by  four  hundred  and  sev- 
enty-one  feet,  and  belonged  to  a  system  which  once  made 
this  valley  to  blossom  like  a  vast  garden,  but  which  is  now 
almost  barren.  One  writer  says,  "This  is  perhaps  the  re- 
mains of  a  pool  constructed  by  Herod  near  his  palace  at 
Jericho;  for  this,  it  appears,  is  the  site  of  the  Jericho  of 
the  New  Testament." 

In  Deuteronomy  xxxiv,  3,  Jericho  is  called  "the  city 
of  palm-trees."  Once  it  was  the  chief  city  of  Canaan, 
but  is  now  nothing  but  a  mound  of  ruins.  Its  beauty 
has  departed,  and  the  once  mighty  city  is  now  only  a 
heap.  During  the  night  spent  at  the  hotel  near  this  an- 
cient greatness,  I  heard  the  jackals  barking  as  they 
prowled  about  seeking  something  to  satisfy  their  crav- 
ing hunger.  Dogs  barked  almost  incessantly  to  keep 
them  company ;  but  so  common  are  they  that  neither  paid 
much  attention  to  the  other.  Historic  place !  Here  it 
was  that  the  spies  came ;  yonder  Rahab's  house  stood 
upon  the  wall.  "Then  she  let  them  [the  spies]  down  by 
a  cord  through  the  window,  for  her  house  was  upon  the 
town  wall,  and  she  dwelt  upon  the  wall."  (Josh,  ii,  15.) 
About  those  ruins  Joshua's  army  went  for  seven  days, 
until,  at  the  blast  of  trumpets,  "the  walls  of  Jericho  fell 
down  flat."  Then  the  city  was  burned,  and  Joshua,  look- 
ing back  toward  it,  said,  "Cursed  be  the  man  before  the 
Lord,  that  riseth  and  buildeth  this  city  Jericho."  (Josh, 
vi,  26.) 

Herod  undertook  to  rebuild  it,  and  received  the  curse. 
Elijah  spent  his  last  days  at  Jericho,  and  crossed  the 
Jordan  with  Elisha,  only  to  be  parted  from  him  and 
ascend  to  heaven  by  a  whirlwind.     (2  Kings  ii,  1-11.) 

The  groves  and  gardens  of  this  city  were  once  cele- 
brated for  their  beauty,  and  when  Cleopatra  wanted  to 


288  Around  the  World. 

make  her  lover,  Mark  Antony,  a  present,  she  gave  him 
these  groves  and  gardens. 

Here  is  the  spring  which  Elisha  healed.  "And  the 
men  of  the  city  said  unto  Elisha.  Behold,  I  pray  thee, 
the  situation  of  this  city  is  pleasant,  as  my  lord  seeth ; 
but  the  water  is  naught  and  the  ground  is  barren.  And 
he  said,  Bring  me  a  new  cruse,  and  put  salt  therein.  And 
they  brought  it  to  him.  And  he  went  forth  into  tbe 
spring  of  the  waters,  and  cast  salt  in  there,  and  said, 
Thus  saith  the  Lord,  I  have  healed  these  waters :  there 
shall  not  be  from  thence  any  more  dead  or  barren  land. 
So  the  waters  were  healed  unto  this  day,  according  to 
the  saying  of  Elisha  which  he  spake."  (2  Kings  ii,  19-22.) 

The  water  gushes  forth,  providing  the  Bedouins 
about  here  with  health-giving  fluid.  Climbing  the  hill 
by  this  spring  the  ruins  are  reached.  If  the  sultan  would 
permit  this  mound  to  be  thoroughly  excavated,  much  of 
interest  to  Bible  students  and  the  world  at  large  might 
be  brought  to  light.  To  the  west  of  old  Jericho  stands 
Ouarantania,  a  precipitous  mountain,  the  traditional  site 
of  Christ's  temptation.     (Matt,  iv,  8.) 

Jericho  has  a  population  of  about  three  hundred  peo- 
ple, who  look  forsaken,  though  no  more  forsaken  than 
the  land  they  occupy. 

A  tower  was  erected  at  Jericho  for  the  purpose  of 
protecting  the  crops  from  invading  Bedouins,  and  tradi- 
tion claims  that  the  house  of  Zacchaeus  stood  where  this 
tower  now  stands.  "And  Jesus  entered  and  passed 
through  Jericho.  And,  behold,  there  was  a  man  named 
2accha?us,  which  was  the  chief  among  the  publicans,  and 
he  was  rich.  And  he  sought  to  see  Jesus  who  He  was ; 
and  could  not  for  the  press,  because  he  was  little  of  stat- 
ure. And  he  ran  before,  and  climbed  up  into  a  sycamore 
tree  to  see  Him:  for  He  was  to  pass  that  way."  (Luke 
xix,  1-4.) 


Jerusalem  to  Jericho  and  Bethlehem.  289 

Among'  the  points  overflowing  with  interest  about 
here  is  the  Dead  Sea,  called  in  Deuteronomy  (iv,  49), 
the  Sea  of  the  Plain  ;  in  (iii,  17),  it  is  called  the  Salt  Sea, 
and  in  Joshua  (xii,  3)  it  is  named  the  East  Sea.  Leg- 
ends clustering  about  it  procured  for  it  the  name  Dead 
Sea,  although  the  Arabs  continue  to  call  it  the  Sea  of 
Lot.  Here  Lot  chose  for  himself  a  home.  (Gen.  xiii, 
12.)  Here  the  kings  of  Sodom  and  Gomorrah  fled  and 
fell,  and  somehow  I  am  impressed  that  west  and  north 
of  the  Dead  Sea,  where  destruction  seems  to  have  played 
its  part  well,  those  cities  of  the  plain  once  stood  which 
were  too  full  of  wickedness  to  deserve  further  existence. 
"The  Lord  rained  upon  Sodom  and  upon  Gomorrah  brim- 
stone and  fire  from  the  Lord  out  of  heaven ;  and  He 
overthrew  those  cities,  and  all  the  plain,  and  all  the  in- 
habitants of  the  cities,  and  that  which  grew  upon  the 
ground."     (Gen.  xix,  24,  25.) 

Somewhere  about  this  historic  place  Lot's  wife  became 
a  pillar  of  salt,  and  I  am  sure  I  would  have  become  a 
second  one  if  I  had  remained  in  the  Dead  Sea  much 
longer.  After  swimming  and  floating  in  the  heavy  water 
until  well  pickled,  I  drove  to  the  Pilgrim's  bathing-place 
a  few  miles  up  the  Jordan,  the  traditional  site  of  Christ's 
baptism,  and  hiring  a  boat  and  boatman  for  a  franc,  went 
out  into  the  sacred  river.  A  large  tree,  having  become 
uprooted  by  the  heavy  rains  and  high  water,  had  fallen 
into  the  river  close  by.  Mooring  the  boat  alongside  it, 
I  hung  my  clothes  on  the  limbs  and  plunged  into  the 
Jordan.  So  deep  was  the  river  that  I  could  not  touch 
bottom,  and  so  rapid  was  the  current  that  I  could  not 
swim  up  stream,  and  was  forced  to  pursue  the  back  track- 
to  the  boat  or  be  carried  by  the  rushing  water  down 
into  the  Dead  Sea.  Any  one  who  has  ridden  a  camel 
in  Egypt  sixteen  miles  or  more,  and  within  two  weeks 
19 


290 


Around  the  World. 


has  bathed  in  the  Dead  Sea  and  two  hours  later  in  the 
soothing,  non-irritating  waters  of  the  Jordan,  is  not  par- 
ticularly anxious  to  renew  his  acquaintance  with  that 
semi-nitric-acid,  buoyant  body  of  water  to  the  southward. 
Beware  of  the  epidermis  enemy,  the  camel,  at  least  a 
fortnight  prior  to  swimming  in  the  Dead  Sea. 

It  is  estimated  that  six  million  tons  of  water  flow 
into  the  Dead  Sea  daily,  and  since  there  is  no  outlet  other 
than  by  evaporation,  it  is  reasonable  to  suppose  that 
this  is  a  hot  country.  The  Dead  Sea  is  reputed  to  be  the 
lowest  body  of  water  in  the  world,  the  average  depth 
being  1,080  feet.  Analysis  shows  that  about  25  per  cent 
of  the  water  is  solid  substance,  7  per  cent  being  chloride 
of  sodium  (common  salt).  Chloride  of  magnesium  is 
found,  being  sufficiently  plentiful  to  cause  one  to  remem- 
ber its  taste. 

The  Jordan  River  is  as  crooked  as  the  most  crooked 
crook.  The  distance  from  the  Sea  of  Galilee  is  only  sixty 
miles,  yet  that  river  corkscrews  its  way  a  distance  of  two 
hundred  miles  in  making  the  tour,  and  falls  six  hundred 
feet. 

The  many  sacredly  historic  associations  clustering 
about  the  Jordan  makes  it  to  Christians  what  the  Nile  is 
to  the  Egyptians,  the  Ganges  to  the  Hindus,  and  the 
Yangste-Kiang  to  the  Chinese.  "Lot  lifted  up  his  eyes, 
and  beheld  all  the  plain  of  Jordan,  that  it  was  well  wat- 
ered everywhere,  even  as  the  garden  of  the  Lord."  (Gen. 
xiii,  10.)  "And  the  people  passed  over  right  against 
Jericho."  (Joshua  iii.  17.)  Xaaman  was  here  cured 
of  leprosy.  (2  Kings  v.)  "Then  went  out  to  Him 
Jerusalem,  and  all  Judea,  and  all  the  region  round  about 
Jordan,  and  were  baptized  of  Him  in  Jordan,  confessing 
their  sins."     (Matt,  iii,  5,  6.) 

"Then   cometh   Jesus   from   Galilee   to  Jordan   unto 


Jerusalem  to  Jericho  and  Bethlehem.         291 

John,  to  be  baptized  of  him.  And  Jesus,  when  He  was 
baptized,  went  up  straightway  out  of  the  water:  and,  lo, 
the  heavens  were  opened  unto  Him,  and  He  saw  the 
Spirit  of  God  descending  like  a  dove,  and  lighting"  upon 
Him;  and,  lo,  a  voice  from  heaven  saying,  This  is  My 
beloved  Son,  in  whom  I  am  well  pleased."  (Matt,  iii, 
13,  16,  17.) 

One  can  not  visit  these  historic  places  without  recall- 
ing the  events  that  combined  to  make  them  sacred. 

Five  or  six  miles  from  Jerusalem  is  the  city  of  Beth- 
lehem, a  city  that  becomes  the  subject  of  song  on  each 
recurring  Christmas-day.  Over  Bethlehem  hung  that 
special  star  indicating  the  whereabouts  of  that  special 
Messenger  sent  into  the  world  to  act  as  a  compass  point- 
ing to  the  eternal  home. 

Approaching  this  city  from  Jerusalem,  we  first  pass 
by  the  Jaffa  Gate  into  the  Valley  of  Hinnom,  and  on  in 
view  of  the  Hill  of  Evil  Counsel  containing  the  ruins  of 
the  summer  house  of  Caiaphas,  and  then  rise  upon  a  plain 
called  the  Valley  of  Rephaim,  the  boundary  line  between 
Judah  and  Benjamin,  where  David  defeated  the  Philis- 
tines. Close  at  hand  is  the  Well  of  the  Magi,  in  which, 
according  to  tradition,  the  wise  men  saw  the  reflection 
of  the  star,  and,  following  it,  came  to  Bethlehem.  The 
road,  rising  over  an  eminence  here,  affords  one  a  good 
view  of  Jerusalem  and  Bethlehem  at  the  same  time. 
A  good  view  of  the  Dead  Sea  is  also  obtained  from  this 
road. 

The  most  noteworthy  point  passed  is  the  tomb  of 
Rachel,  which  is  revered  by  Jews.  Christians,  and  Mos- 
lems alike.  Bedouins  think  it  is  the  thing  to  do  to  bring 
their  dead  for  burial  as  near  this  tomb  as  possible. 

"And  Rachel  died,  and  was  buried  in  the  way  to 
Ephrath,  which  is  Bethlehem.     And  Jacob   set  a  pillar 


292 


Around  the  World. 


upon  her  grave ;  that  is  the  pillar  of  Rachel's  grave  to 
this  day."     (Gen.  xxxv,  19,  20.) 

Good  old  Jacob, — how  one's  heart  still  aches  for  him! 
He  was  seven  years  in  securing  the  chosen  one,  yet  those 
seven  years  "seemed  to  Jacob  but  a  few  days,  for  the 
love  he  bore  her."  Love,  pure  love,  acts  in  this  way. 
Now  listen  to  his  testimony  as  years  wore  his  life  away, 
as  he  approached  the  grave:  "And  as  for  me,  when  I 
came  from  Padan,  Rachel  died  by  me  in  the  land  of 
Canaan  in  the  way,  when  yet  there  was  little  way  to 
come  to  Ephrath  ;  and  I  buried  her  there  in  the  way  to 
Ephrath,  the  same  is  Bethlehem."  (Gen.  xlviii,  7.) 
Dearer  to  me  now  than  ever  before  is  Jacob,  the  true- 
hearted. 

Between  Rachel's  tomb  and  Bethlehem  is  David's 
Well,  which  is  mentioned  in  2  Samuel  xxiii,  14-17.  When 
the  Philistines  were  making  David  exceedingly  busy, 
causing  him  many  a  weary  hour,  he  longed  for  a  drink 
from  this  thirst-quenching  fount. 

"And  David  was  then  in  an  hold,  and  the  garrison 
of  the  Philistines  was  then  in  Bethlehem.  And  David 
longed  and  said,  O  that  one  would  give  me  drink  of  the 
water  of  the  well  of  Bethlehem,  which  is  by  the  gate." 
(Sam.  xxiii,  14,  15.) 

I  can  understand  how  David  could  appreciate  a  drink 
of  water  from  home,  and  if  he  had  longed  for  the  sight 
of  even  a  roustabout  yellow  dog  from  home,  I  would 
understand  just  what  he  meant,  and  would  join  in  the 
chorus. 

It  was  in  this  city  that  Boaz  lived,  and  just  outside 
the  city  are  the  fields,  in  one  of  which  Ruth  gleaned  and 
made  the  acquaintance  which  led  to  marriage,  she  be- 
coming the  ancestress  of  Judah's  kings  and  of  the  world's 
Redeemer. 


The  Grotto  of  the  Nativity,  Bethlehem. 

Star  under  the  hanging-lamps  marking  the  spot  where  Christ  was  born.) 


Jerusalem  to  Jericho  and  Bethlehem.  293 

Who  can  forget  the  beautiful  tenderness  manifested 

by  Ruth?  "And  Ruth  said,  Intreat  me  not  to  leave  thee 
or  to  return  from  following-  after  thee;  for  whither  thou 
goest,  I  will  go ;  and  where  thou  lodgest,  I  will  lodge. 
Thy  people  shall  be  my  people,  and  thy  God  my  God. 
Where  thou  diest,  will  I  die,  and  there  will  I  be  buried." 
(Ruth  i,  16,  17.) 

It  was  here  that  Samuel  anointed  David  to  be  king 
of  Israel.  (1  Sam.  xvi,  13.)  Out  yonder  on  those  hills 
that  shepherd  boy,  the  great-grandson  of  Ruth,  watched 
his  father's  sheep.  There  he  protected  them  from  the 
wild  beasts.  (1  Sam.  xvii,  34.)  There  he  wrote  his  early 
poems.  From  those  winding,  undulating  slopes  he  was 
called  by  Saul  to  make  melody.  (1  Sam.  xvi,  19.)  In 
Luke  ii,  4,  Bethlehem  is  called  the  City  of  David,  and 
in  Micah  v,  2,  is  the  prophecy  stating  that  from  Beth- 
lehem One  shall  come  forth  "whose  goings  forth  have 
been  from  of  old,  from  everlasting."  The  second  chap- 
ters of  Matthew  and  Luke  tell  of  His  coming,  and  are 
familiar  to  nearly  every  one,  hence  I  shall  not  elaborate 
or  quote  at  length  from  them. 

Over  that  historic  manger  at  Bethlehem  a  "fortress- 
like pile  of  buildings"  has  been  erected,  called  the  Church 
of  the  Nativity.  The  nave  of  the  church  is  the  common 
property  of  all  Christians,  and  is  said  to  be  the  oldest 
monument  of  Christian  achitecture  in  the  world.  A  part 
was  erected  by  Constantine  in  330  A.  D.  Here  Baldwin  I 
was  crowned  king.  Edward  IV  of  England  presented 
the  church  with  a  new  roof.  The  church  is  a  splendid 
building,  containing  four  rows  of  marble  columns.  Two 
staircases  lead  to  the  Chapel,  or  Grotto,  of  the  Nativity, 
which  is  twenty  feet  below  the  floor  of  the  choir.  Lamps, 
embroidery,  ornaments,  and  figures  of  saints  are  every- 
where.    On  one  side  of  the  grotto  is  a  recess  containing 


294  Around  the  World. 

a  silver  star  in  the  pavement,  about  which  is  the  follow- 
ing inscription  in  Latin:  "Hie  de  Virgine  Marie  Jesus 
Christus  natus  est;"  meaning,  Here  Jesus  Christ  was 
born  of  the  Virgin  Mary. 

Another  recess  is  called  the  Chapel  of  the  Manger, 
from  which  the  wooden  manger  was  taken,  now  shown 
at  the  Church  of  S.  Maria  Maggiore  at  Rome. 

The  Altar  of  the  Magi  is  shown,  said  to  be  the  spot 
where  the  wise  men  presented  their  gifts. 

It  is  generally  believed  that  the  Grotto  of  the  Nativity 
is  the  actual  place  of  the  birth  of  Christ.  So  many  people 
coming  to  the  city  at  one  time  to  be  taxed  as  required 
by  law,  would  make  it  impossible  for  all  to  secure  ac- 
commodation at  the  hotels.  A  few  days  after  my  arrival, 
two  parties  of  Americans,  numbering  about  nine  hun- 
dred, arived  in  Jerusalem.  Other  parties  also  came,  and 
the  crush  was  great,  so  that  some  were  glad  to  get  even 
a  barn  or  a  woodshed  in  which  to  sleep.  Hence  it  is 
perfectly  plain  to  me  that  Joseph  and  Mary  were  as- 
signed humble  quarters  in  that  day,  when  some  rich 
people  in  these  days  are  forced  to  accept  similar  treat- 
ment when  hotels  and  boarding-houses  are  numerous. 

Here  is  shown  the  Chapel  of  St.  Jerome,  who  occu- 
pied a  chamber  hewn  out  of  the  rock,  spending  thirty 
years  in  translating  the  "Biblia  Vulgata"  of  the  Latin 
Church. 

The  traditional  Shepherd's  Field  usually  interests,  for 
here  the  shepherds,  watching  their  flocks  by  night,  re- 
ceived the  "good  tidings  of  great  joy,  which  shall  be  to 
all  people.  For  unto  you  is  born  this  day!  in  the  City  of 
David,  a  Savior,  which  is  Christ  the  Lord.  And  this 
shall  be  a  sign  unto  you :  Ye  shall  find  the  Babe  wrapped 
in  swaddling  clothes,  lying  in  a  manger.  And  suddenly 
there  was  with  the  angel  a  multitude  of  the  heavenly 


Jerusalem  to  Jericho  and  Bethlehem.  295 

host  praising  God,  and  saying,  Glory  to  God  in  the  high- 
est, and  on  earth  peace,  good  will  toward  men.  And  it 
came  to  pass  as  the  angels  were  gone  away  from  them 
into  heaven,  the  shepherds  said  one  to  another,  Let  us  now 
go  even  unto  Bethlehem,  and  see  this  thing  which  is 
come  to  pass,  which  the  Lord  hath  made  known  unto  us. 
And  they  came  with  haste,  and  found  Mary  and  Joseph, 
and  the  Babe  lying  in  a  manger."     (Luke  ii,  10-16.) 

Bethlehem  is  situated  two  thousand  five  hundred  and 
fifty  feet  above  sea  level,  and  has  a  population  of  eight 
thousand.  Its  people  surpass  those  of  Jerusalem  in  ap- 
pearance, though  apparently  of  similar  stock.  The  young 
ladies  are  pleasant,  and  well  dressed  for  Orientals. 


XXI. 

JERUSALEM  TO  THE  SEA  OF  GALILEE. 

VIA  JAFFA,  CESAREA,  HAIFA,  AND  NAZARETH — RUINS  OF 
ANCIENT  BIBLICAL  CITIES MOUNTS  CARMEL  AND  TA- 
BOR— PLAIN  OF  ESDRAELON — CANA — TIBERIAS — MAG- 
DALA — BETHSAIDA  AND  SAFED. 

Having  become  acquainted  with  Jerusalem,  Jericho, 
Bethany,  and  Bethlehem,  I  turned  toward  Nazareth  by 
the  route  offering  the  greatest  interest,  which  was  by 
way  of  Jaffa  and  Haifa.  At  Jaffa  I  boarded  a  rigged 
steamer  schooner  of  only  1,600  tons  register  and  coasted 
northward.  The  Judean,  Samarian,  and  Galilean  hills 
presented  a  beautiful  appearance  from  the  glassy  Medi- 
terranean waters.  The  first  point  of  exceeding  interest 
along  the  coast  is  the  "desolate  site  of  C?esarea,  whose 
ruins  have  long  been  a  mere  quarry  for  procuring  mate- 
rials with  which  other  places  have  been  built.  It  owes 
its  origin  to  Herod  the  Great,  who  spared  no  pains  or 
expense  in  its  erection,  and  named  it  after  Augustus 
Caesar.  Previous  to  this  time  there  was  simply  a  land- 
ing-place here,  and  a  tower,  mentioned  by  Strabo  as 
Strabo's  Tower.  In  the  time  of  Tacitus,  C?esarea  had 
become  the  chief  town  of  the  Roman  province  of  Judea. 
It  was  the  royal  dwelling-place  of  the  Herodian  family, 
and  the  official  residence  of  Festus,  Felix,  and  other 
Roman  procurators  and  the  headquarters  of  the  Roman 
troops  charged  with  the  security  and  tranquillity  of  this 

296 


Jerusalem  to  the  Sea  of  Galilee.  297 

part  of  the  empire.  Baldwin  I  took  the  city  from  the 
Saracens  in  1102,  but  it  was  recaptured  by  Saladin  in 
1 187.  In  1 191  it  was  again  won  by  the  crusaders,  and 
given  to  Frederick  II  of  Germany  in  1229.  St.  Louis 
rebuilt  the  walls  in  1251/'*  But  now  there  is  scarcely 
anything  left  of  Ca?sarea's  former  greatness.  Ruin  and 
decay  are  on  every  hand ;  a  few  Bosnian  exiles  live  among 
the  ruins.  The  Xew  Testament  allusions  to  Caesarea 
show  its  importance  nearly  twenty  centuries  ago.  After 
Paul  had  clambered  down  the  Damascus  wall  in  order 
to  save  his  life,  he  was  brought  to  Caesarea  where  he 
secured  passage  to  his  home  town,  Tarsus.  (Acts  ix,  30.) 
Here  lived  Cornelius  (Acts  x),  the  first  convert  to  Chris- 
tianity after  Peter's  vision  at  Jaffa.  Peter  made  rapid 
steps  to  Caesarea  when  the  prison  doors  at  Jerusalem  had 
miraculously  given  him  his  freedom.     (Acts  xii,  19.) 

After  Paul  had  given  the  Grecians  some  much  needed 
advice  on  his  first  missionary  journey  to  the  northward, 
he  returned  to  Caesarea.     (Acts  xviii,  22.) 

It  was  here  that  Philip  the  Evangelist  lived.  Here 
Paul  was  warned  that  the  Jews  at  Jerusalem  were  taking 
counsel  against  him,  whereupon  he  uttered  the  memora- 
ble words,  "I  am  ready,  not  to  be  bound  only,  but  also  to 
die  at  Jerusalem  for  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus."  (Acts 
xxi,  13.) 

Once  this  same  Paul,  when  at  Jerusalem,  demanded 
papers  to  Damascus  giving  him  authority  to  arrest  any 
one  whom  he  might  meet  that  was  Christian.  Now,  after 
having  his  eyes  opened  after  the  great  transformation, 
he  is  ready  to  die  for  the  cause  he  once  persecuted. 

To  Caesarea  Paul  was  brought,  no  less  than  two  hun- 
dred soldiers,  seventy  horsemen,  and  two  hundred  spears- 
men  being  detailed  to  bring  him.     (Acts  xxiii,  23.)     Why 

*  Cook's  Palestine,  pp.  292,  293. 


298  Around  the  World. 

require  so  many  men  ?  Let  the  infidel  answer.  Here  it 
was  that  Felix,  the  governor,  trembled  as  Paul  "reasoned 
of  righteousness,  temperance,  and  judgment  to  come." 
He  who  views  the  scene  to-day  and  recalls  its  former 
greatness  will  decide  that  Caesarea  has  been  judged  and 
found  wanting. 

An  aqueduct,  or  part  of  one,  remains,  which  once 
conducted  water  from  the  Crocodile  River  for  the  in- 
vincible Roman  legions.  Fragments  of  the  old  Roman 
walls  still  stand  as  monuments  to  blasted  hopes. 

The  vase  called  the  Holy  Grail,  that  played  an  im- 
portant part  in  mediaeval  history  and  poetry,  was  found 
here  in  1101,  when  captured  by  Baldwin  I.  This  vase, 
now  in  Paris,  is  composed  of  green  crystal,  and  is  hex- 
agonal in  shape.  The  old  city  covered  three  hundred  and 
seventy-six  acres. 

The  officers  of  the  schooner  on  which  we  took  passage 
pointed  out  traces  of  the  old  amphitheater  of  Herod, 
which  is  said  to  have  accommodated  twenty  thousand 
people. 

Passing  Caesarea,  the  next  point  of  interest  is  the 
village  of  Tantnra.  where  an  old  crnsaders'  tower  is  seen. 
As  the  little  floater  speeds  on  her  way,  Mount  Carmel 
breaks  through  the  horizon,  projecting  a  mile  or  more 
into  the  sea.  On  account  of  hidden  rocks  the  vessel  sails 
on  as  if  bound  for  Greece,  and  when  one  thinks  Haifa  is 
to  be  left  unvisited,  the  rudder  changes  at  the  behest  of 
the  revolving  wheel,  and  an  acute  angle  is  described, 
bringing  us  into  the  harbor  of  Haifa,  between  Acre  and 
the  projecting  mountain.  And  this  is  Carmel,  whose  ex- 
cellency was  once  sung  by  great  and  small,  but  which  is 
now  very  much  departed,  yet  some  continue  to  write  of 
its  "shrubberies  thicker  than  any  other  in  Central  Pales- 
tine," its  "rich  verdure,"  its  "jasmine  and  various  flower- 


Jerusalem  to  the  Sea  of  Galilee.  299 

ing  creepers,"'  its  "oak-trees  and  perennial  shrubs,"  and 
its  "abundance  of  game  and  wild  animals." 

On  Carmel  is  a  cave  where  Elijah  sought  shelter  from 
pursuing  Ahab.  A  convent  is  erected  over  this  cave. 
At  the  foot  of  the  mountain  is  the  "Cave  of  the  prophets," 
where  Elijah  held  the  School  of  the  Prophets.  The  cave 
is  shown  to  every  visitor,  and  Bible  times  and  events  take 
new  interest  and  meaning  as  one  visits  the  places  sacred 
in  historic  wealth.     (1  Kings  xviii,  13;  Josh,  xii,  22.) 

I  climbed  to  the  summit  of  Carmel  after  ascending 
its  lower  slopes  by  carriage.  The  view  here  is  worth  the 
toil  it  cost.  Enormous  blocks  of  stone  are  on  every  hand. 
On  the  south  is  Sharon,  and  on  the  north  is  Esdraelon. 
the  two  important  plains  of  the  Holy  Land.  On  the  west 
is  the  sea  over  which  "the  prophet  saw  the  little  cloud, 
like  a  man's  hand,  arise,  which  was  to  spread  over  all 
the  scorched  land  and  pour  a  healing  rain.  The  Kishon, 
reddened  with  blood  of  the  priests  of  Baal  after  their 
shameful  defeat,  flows  through  the  plain  at  the  foot  of 
Carmel."  To  the  east  is  Jezreel  and  Mount  Tabor  rising 
as  a  sugar  loaf.  (1  Kings  xviii;  2  Kings  ii,  25.)  Amos 
i.  2,  says,  "The  top  of  Carmel  shall  wither."  Tacitus 
and  Pliny  united  in  attributing  to  Carmel  unusual  his- 
toric interest.  Pythagoras  came  here  from  Egypt,  and 
made  this  mount  his  favorite  retreat.  In  1  Kings  xviii 
it  is  called  the  Mount  of  God.  Napoleon  came  here  in 
1799  when  he  besieged  Acre,  and  left  a  number  of 
wounded  soldiers,  who  were  slain  by  the  Turks.  They 
are  buried  by  the  convent.  Their  graves  are  shown  to 
this  day. 

Haifa  has  a  population  of  about  twelve  thousand,  of 
which  about  five  hundred  are  Germans,  two  hundred 
Latins,  eight  hundred  Greeks,  sixteen  hundred  Jews,  the 
remainder  being  Mohammedans  chiefly. 


300  Around  the  World. 

At  Haifa  arrangements  were  perfected  for  an  over- 
land trip  to  Nazareth  and  Tiberias,  the  latter  situated 
on  the  west  shore  of  the  Sea  of  Galilee. 

Twelve  years  ago  grading  was  begun  for  a  railroad 
from  Haifa  to  Damascus  via  Galilee,  but  progress  has 
been  slow,  and  the  guide  remarked  that  it  would  re- 
quire twelve  hundred  years  to  complete  the  road  if  the 
work  lagged  in  the  future  as  in  the  past.  Our  route  from 
Haifa  was  along  the  new  road  a  considerable  distance. 
The  bridges  are  exceptionally  good,  each  bridge  consist- 
ing of  several  arches  constructed  entirely  of  finished 
stone,  granite  in  appearance,  and  apparently  equal  to  the 
best  engineering  in  America.  Earthworks  built  by  Napo- 
leon to  defend  the  Kishon  Valley  were  passed.  These 
works  are  fifty  feet  high,  but  now  useless. 

Space  would  not  permit  me  even  to  enumerate 
all  the  places  of  historic  interest ;  suffice  it  to  state 
that  this  route  is  the  famous  Esdraelon  Way,  over  which 
the  world's  armies  marched  as  they  surged  back  and 
forth  between  Egypt  and  Babylonia.  The  plain  of  Jez- 
reel  was  known  also  by  the  Greek  name  Esdraelon.  In 
the  Old  Testament  it  is  referred  to  as  the  plain  of  Megiddo. 
"The  plain  lies  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  below  the  sea 
level,  and,  though  marshy  in  places,  is,  on  the  whole,  re- 
markable for  its  fertility.  In  spring,  when  seen  from  the 
mountains,  the  plain  resembles  a  vast  green  lake.  Cranes 
and  storks  abound  here,  and  gazelles  are  sometimes  seen." 
One  thing  I  know,  and  shall  not  forget,  is  that  here  the 
horses  (three)  dragged  the  conveyance  with  the  great- 
est difficulty,  so  muddy  was  the  road.  I  walked  for  miles 
in  order  to  save  the  horses,  while  the  driver  rode  and 
used  his  energy  in  plying  his  whip  upon  as  good  and  as 
faithful  horses  as  any  man  ever  saw  hitched  or  unhitched. 
I  had  often  read  about  the  bonv,  skin-and-bone  horses  of 


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Jerusalem  to  the  Sea  of  Galilee.  301 

Palestine,  but  I  want  to  bear  record  that  those  I  saw  were 
the  equal  of  horses  anywhere  and  more  sensible  than 
their  drivers  (in  many  instances).  Heavy  rains  had 
fallen ;  in  fact,  the  record  witnesses  tbat  Palestine  lias 
been  treated  to  a  greater  rainfall  the  past  month  than  had 
occurred  for  years  before. 

"This  plain  has  been  a  battlefield  from  the  days  of 
Barak  to  those  of  Napoleon.  Warriors  out  of  many  na- 
tions have  pitched  their  tents  in  the  plain  of  Esdraelon, 
and  have  beheld  the  various  banners  of  their  nations 
wet  with  the  dews  of  Tabor  and  of  Hermon.  Esdraelon 
was  the  portion  of  Issachar.  Here  Barak,  descending 
from  Mount  Tabor,  and  ten  thousand  men  after  him, 
discomfited  Sisera,  whose  defeat  was  owing,  in  a  great 
measure,  to  his  having  been  drawn  to  the  river  Kishon — 
a  river  which  drains  the  plain  into  the  Mediterranean." 
"The  river  of  Kishon  swept  them  away ;  that  ancient 
river,  the  river  Kishon."     (Judges  v,  22.) 

Here  Josiah  the  king  came  to  fight  with  Necho,  the 
king  of  Egypt,  and  received  his  death-wound.  (2  Chron. 
xxxv,  20-25.  I  The  Syrians  frequently  swept  through 
the  plain  with  their  armies.     (1  Kings  xx,  35.) 

After  a  day's  work,  interesting  but  irksome,  Nazareth 
was  reached.  Nazareth  has  a  population  estimated  all 
the  way  from  six  to  ten  thousand.  From  six  to  ten  thou- 
sand is  sufficiently  accurate  for  Turkish  purposes.  "The 
angel  Gabriel  was  sent  from  God  unto  a  city  of  Galilee, 
named  Nazareth,  to  a  virgin  espoused  to  a  man  whose 
name  was  Joseph."     (Luke  i,  26,  27.) 

From  here  Joseph  went  to  Bethlehem  "to  be  taxed 
with  Mary,  his  espoused  wife."  Passing  by  the  details 
familiar  to  all  regarding  the  birth  of  Christ  of  Bethle- 
hem, it  is  noticed  that,  after  his  return  from  Egypt,  he 


*Cook's  Palestine,  p.  187. 


302  Around  the  World. 

entered  upon  his  public  ministry  at  Nazareth,  "that  it 
might  be  fulfilled  which  was  spoken  by  the  prophet,  He 
shall  be  called  a  Nazarene."  (Matt,  ii,  23.)  And  fur- 
ther (Matt,  iii,  13),  "Jesus  came  from  Nazareth  of  Gali- 
lee, and  was  baptized  of  John  in  Jordan."  Then,  "He 
came  to  Nazareth  where  He  had  been  brought  up." 
(Luke  iv,  16.)  After  doing  His  best  to  reform  his  town ; 
after  striving  to  do  what  was  right,  as  an  example  of 
purity,  He  came  in  contact  with  those  of  His  own  city 
who  objected  to  the  progress  of  righteousness,  where- 
upon they  "rose  up,  and  thrust  Him  out  of  the  city,  and 
led  Him  unto  the  brow  of  the  hill  whereon  their  city  was 
built,  that  they  might  cast  Him  down  headlong.  But  He, 
passing  through  the  midst  of  them,  went  His  way,  and 
came  down  to  Capernaum."     (Luke  iv,  29-31.) 

The  point  of  chief  interest  in  Nazareth  is  the  Latin 
Church  of  the  Annunciation,  built  by  the  Franks  in  1 185. 
Under  an  altar  dedicated  to  the  angel  Gabriel  is  the 
crypt,  with  fifteen  marble  steps  leading  down  to  the 
Chapel  of  the  Angel  and  Chapel  of  the  Annunciation, 
where  a  marble  altar  stands  bearing  the  inscription,  "Hie 
verbum  caro  factum  est."  (Here  the  Word  was  made 
flesh.) 

I  visited  the  traditional  workshop  of  Joseph,  the  rock 
table  where  Christ  met  with  his  disciples,  called  the  Table 
of  Christ,  and  the  synagogue  where  Christ  is  said  to 
have  taught  his  disciples,  etc. 

There  are  no  less  than  three  Mounts  of  Precipitation 
where  the  people  sought  to  cast  the  Savior  down.  It  is 
c-'  wonder  that  several  others  have  not  been  chosen,  as 
there  are  plenty  left.  I  do  not  know  that  it  makes  any 
difference  as  to  which  one  is  the  correct  site  as  long  as 
neither  one  was  used  for  the  purpose. 

No  one  fails  to  visit  the  beautiful  spring  near  the 


Jerusalem  to  the  Sea  of  Galilee.  303 

center  of  the  city,  called  the  Fountain  of  the  Virgin.  In 
the  evening  it  presents  a  picturesque  appearance.  "Here 
the  village  maidens  in  their  bright  head-dresses,  assem- 
ble, and  bear  away  their  well-filled  pitchers  on  their  heads. 
The  Christian  dress  is  distinguished  by  the  loose  trous- 
ers of  the  women."  There  can  be  no  reasonable  doubt 
that  she  who  was  "blessed  among  women"  would  often 
come  here,  perhaps  carrying  the  infant  Savior  in  just  the 
same  fashion  as  we  may  see  mothers  of  Nazareth  carry- 
ing their  children  to-day;  and  no  doubt  many  a  time 
our  Savior,  as  He  came  past  here  on  His  way  home, 
would  tarry  to  quench  His  thirst  at  this  very  stream 
whose  waters  the  traveler  may  drink  to-day  as  a  cup  of 
blessing."* 

Behind  Nazareth  is  a  high  hill  called  the  Dome  of 
Neby  Sain,  from  whose  summit  one  of  the  best  views  of 
the  country  is  obtained.  It  comprehends  nearly  half  of 
Palestine.  The  view  here  is  worth  more  than  it  costs  in 
labor.  "At  a  glance  you  seem  to  take  in  the  whole  land, 
and  the  first  thought  that  strikes  you  is  that  this  must 
have  been  a  favorite  resort  of  the  Savior ;  and  if  so,  He 
must  have  had  constantly  spread  out  before  Him  the 
great  library  of  Biblical  story.  On  the  north  is  Hermon ; 
on  the  south,  the  mountains  round  about  Shechem ;  on 
the  east,  the  mountains  of  Gilead  on  the  other  side  of 
Jordan;  and  on  the  west,  the  great  sea  (Mediterranean), 
the  beautiful  Bay  of  Acre;  the  ridge  running  out  into 
the  sea,  Mount  Carmel,  crowned  with  its  convent.  South- 
ward are  the  mountains  of  Samaria  and  the  hills  round 
Jenin ;  and  below  lies  the  magnificent  plain  of  Esclraelon 
and  the  river  Kishon.  Northward  the  view  culminates 
in  glory,  as  Hermon,  like  a  great  wall  of  white  crystal, 
stands  out  against  the  blue  sky,  with  the  Galilean  hills 

*Cook,  p.  198. 


3°4 


Around  the  World. 


below  it,  and  everywhere  round  that  region  is  scenery 
varied  and  picturesque."  Standing  upon  this  eminence, 
one  is  reminded  that  here  Jeremiah  must  have  stood  when 
he  wrote  about  Nebuchadnezzar,  king  of  Babylon,  who 
was  to  come  and  smite  Egypt,  saying :  "As  I  live,  saith 
the  King,  whose  name  is  the  Lord  of  Hosts,  surely  as 
Tabor  is  among  the  mountains  and  as  Carmel  by  the  sea, 
so  shall  he  come."     (Jer.  xlvi,  18.) 

From  Nazareth  to  Tiberias  the  road  most  frequented 
is  by  Cana — the  historic  Cana  of  Galilee,  where  Christ 
performed  his  first  miracle  at  the  marriage  feast.  (John 
ii,  i-il.) 

In  the  Greek  church  was  shown  jars  said  to  have  been 
used  on  the  occasion  of  the  miracle.  They  were  found 
by  excavators  under  the  old  church  which  was  displaced 
to  make  room  for  a  more  modern  structure.  The  jars 
shown  in  this  church  are  no  less  than  twice  as  large  as  I 
had  expected  to  see.  The  home  of  Nathanael  was  pointed 
out,  also  the  birthplace  of  Jonah  of  Gath.  Following  a 
number  of  young  ladies,  who  were  on  their  way  to  a 
spring  with  large  earthen  jars  for  water,  we  were  shown 
the  spring  or  well  from  which  the  water  is  said  to  have 
been  drawn  which  took  part  in  the  miraculous  transfor- 
mation. I  have  long  since  ceased  to  record  the  events 
which  caused  me  to  be  surprised.  This  well,  ten  feet 
deep,  without  a  pump  or  rope,  was  entered  by  a  young 
lady,  who  with  unwashed  feet,  stood  in  fourteen  inches 
of  water,  her  dress  or  skirt  having  been  rolled  about  her 
waist.  Another  lady  descended  about  half  way,  where 
she  took  her  station,  supporting  herself  by  anchoring  a 
foot  on  each  side  of  the  will,  thereby  completing  the  high- 
way by  which  the  jars  were  lowered,  and  raised  when 
filled,  to  be  carried  away  by  the  others,  who  came  in  com- 
panies.    The  girls  were  friendly,  offering  each  of  us  a 


Jerusalem  to  the  Sea  of  Galilee.  -2CK 

drink  from  the  earthen  jars,  hut  the  water's  previous 
contact  with  unwashed  feet  rendered  it  a  questionable 
commodity. 

En  route  from  Cana  we  passed  the  traditional  Mount 
of  Beatitudes  where  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount  was 
preached,  if  this  is  the  true  site.  Another  tradition  fixes 
this  as  the  scene  of  the  Feeding'  of  the  Five  Thousand. 
(Matt,  xiv,  15-21.)  Between  Cana  and  Tiberias  addi- 
tional interest  was  added  by  the  appearance  of  three  hun- 
gry jackals  by  the  roadside.  They  came  from  the  hills, 
ran  along  before  us  for  several  rods,  at  times  being  no 
more  than  thirty  yards  from  the  carriage.  A  gentleman 
of  no  less  than  sixty-nine  summers,  who  had  crossed 
America  for  the  golden  West  with  the  forty-niners,  drew 
his  revolver  to  fire  at  them,  but  his  young  wife,  fearing 
that  one  might  be  wounded  and  turn  upon  us,  forced 
her  other  half  to  desist  from  his  purpose.  As  I  was  think- 
ing of  throwing  a  rock  at  them,  they,  doubtless  fearing 
David-like  accuracy  might  be  perpetrated  upon  them, 
skulked  away  toward  their  hiding-place  to  the  south- 
ward, and  the  lady  in  our  carriage  who  had  been  so  ex- 
cited, quieted  down  to  normal  temperament. 

In  a  few  minutes  the  Lake  of  Galilee — that  historic, 
that  beautiful  sheet  of  water — spread  out  before  us ;  a 
sight  referred  to  as  follows  by  the  historian  who  viewed 
the  scene  from  this  point:  "In  the  foreground  are  the 
steeply-sloping  banks  leading  down  to  the  lake,  which 
lies  as  a  basin  a  thousand  feet  below.  The  lake,  from 
Tiberias  on  the  right,  away  to  Capernaum  on  the  left,  is 
distinctly  seen.  Across  the  lake  rise  the  irregular  hills, 
sloping  down  more  or  less  precipitously  to  the  water's 
vd^e ;  they  are  bare  and  barren,  it  is  true,  but  they  are 
rich  and  varied  in  tone  and  tint.  Behind  them  are  the 
mountains  of  Galilee,  and  away  to  the  north  Hermon 
20 


306  Around  the  World. 

rises.  Thus  the  view  consists  of  grassy  slopes,  a  deep- 
blue  lake  of  considerable  extent,  with  hills  rising  from  it, 
and  a  snow-clad  mountain.  It  is  impossible,  however,  to 
separate  from  these  details  the  spirit  and  inspiration  of 
the  scene ;  for  yonder  was  the  dwelling-place  of  Christ. 
Upon  those  waters  He  trod ;  those  waters  listened  to  His 
voice,  and  obeyed ;  from  one  of  those  plateaus  above  the 
rugged  hills  the  swine  fell  into  the  lake.  Every  place  the 
eye  rests  upon  is  holy  ground,  for  it  is  associated  with 
some  most  sacred  scenes  in  the  life  of  the  Master ;  every- 
where the  gospel  is  written  upon  this  divinely-illuminated 
page  of  nature,  and  the  very  air  seems  full  of  the  echo 
of  His  words.  The  descent  to  Tiberias  is  very  steep, 
and  the  traveler  will  be  struck  with  the  change  in  tem- 
perature, reminding  him  of  the  descent  into  the  Jordan. 
The  views  are  interesting,  especially  as  the  old  walled 
town  of  Tiberias  makes  a  picturesque  foreground  to  the 
scenery  of  the  lake." 

Tiberias  has  a  population  estimated  at  from  three 
thousand  to  four  thousand  people,  and  an  additional  pop- 
ulation of  multitudinous  millions  of  fleas.  The  Arabs 
say  that  the  king  of  fleas  lives  here.  On  awaking  in  the 
morning  I  asked  my  roommate  whether  he  was  favored 
with  any  company  during  the  night.  He  replied:  "1 
was  disturbed  during  the  night  by  a  flea."  He  would 
have  been  equally  accurate  if  he  had  said  that  he  had 
noticed  a  sand  on  the  seashore. 

In  1 187  both  Nazareth  and  Tiberias  were  taken  by 
Saladin  after  the  battle  of  Hattin.  Tiberias  was  built 
by  Herod,  and  by  him  dedicated  to  the  Emperor  Tiberius. 
A  royal  palace  and  amphitheater  were  built,  together 
with  walls  and  towers,  many  of  the  ruins  remaining. 
The  Jews  can  be  easily  distinguished  by  their  fur  caps 
and  large  black  hats.    It  is  recommended  that  Europeans 


Jerusalem  to  the  Sea  of  Galilee.  307 

and  Americans  keep  out  of  the  old  city  for  various  rea- 
sons. Such  a  recommendation  would  be  just  the  medi- 
cine to  cause  almost  any  wide-awake  person  to  make  his 
way  in  or  die  in  the  attempt.  Consequently  I,  in  com- 
pany with  an  English  gentleman,  penetrated  to  the  dark- 
est, dirtiest,  dingiest,  most  forsaken,  and  indescribable 
sections,  and  returned  to  the  outside  world  the  same  day 
with  a  store  of  memories  well  worth  forgetting. 

I  made  an  excursion  on  the  Sea  of  Galilee  to  the  south 
of  Tiberias,  visiting  the  hot  springs,  which  pour  forth  a 
torrent  of  waters  heated  to  the  high  temperature  of  no  less 
than  one  hundred  and  forty  degrees  Fahrenheit,  being 
recommended  as  a  sure  cure  for  rheumatism.  Plunge 
your  hand  into  that  water  as  I  did,  and  you  will  withdraw 
the  same  as  quickly.  No  one  can  visit  this  place  and  then 
entertain  a  doubt  about  Palestine  being  in  close  connection 
geologically  with  a  very,  very  hot  place.  Too  hot  for 
comfort,  thank  you  ! 

The  Sea  of  Galilee  is  said  to  be  alive  with  fish,  and 
if  those  served  at  the  hotel  are  fair  samples,  one  must 
seek  elsewhere  than  on  this  earth  for  their  superiors. 
The  shores  are  lined  with  fishing  smacks.  Little  boys 
and  girls  in  'arge  numbers  were  scattered  along  the  shore, 
each  with  shiners,  the  reward  of  a  moment's  patience. 
Nets  are  used  by  men  in  possession  of  the  larger  boats, 
and  it  seems  that  the  quantity  of  fish  annexed  here  by 
the  Isaac  Waltons  ought  soon  to  make  this  lake  Ashless 
— but  not  so. 

In  the  Old  Testament  the  Sea  of  Galilee  is  called  the 
Sea  of  Chinneroth.  In  the  New  Testament,  the  Sea  of 
Tiberias  and  also  the  Lake  of  Gennesaret.  It  is  more 
often  called  the  Sea  of  Galilee.  Once  several  towns  stood 
upon  its  shores,  such  as  Magdala,  Bethsaida,  Chorazin, 
Tiberias,  and  Capernaum,  and  to  present  each  properly 


30S  Around  the  World. 

would  require  me  to  copy  much  of  the  New  Testament ; 
hence  a  full  presentation  is  not  to  be  considered.  I  will 
say,  however,  that  I  sailed  from  Tiberias,  both  north  and 
south,  visiting  available  sites,  and  here  record  my  ob- 
servation that  prophecy  is  fulfilled ;  judgment  has  been 
executed  upon  the  condemned  cities. 

.  .  .  Then  began  He  to  upbraid  the  cities  wherein 
most  of  His  mighty  works  were  done,  because  they  re- 
pented not :  Woe  unto  thee,  Chorazin !  Woe  unto  thee, 
Bethsaida  !  for  if  the  mighty  works  which  were  done  in  you 
had  been  done  in  Tyre  and  Sidon,  they  would  have  re- 
pented long  ago  in  sackcloth  and  ashes.  But  I  say  unto 
you,  It  shall  be  more  tolerable  for  Tyre  and  Sidon  at  the 
day  of  judgment  than  for  you.  And  thou,  Capernaum, 
which  art  exalted  unto  heaven,  shalt  be  brought  down  to 
hell :  for  if  the  mighty  works  which  have  been  done  in  thee 
had  been  done  in  Sodom,  it  would  have  remained  until  this 
day.  But  I  say  unto  you,  That  it  shall  be  more  tolera- 
ble for  the  land  of  Sodom  in  the  day  of  judgment  than 
for  thee."     (Matt,  xi,  20-24.) 

Bethsaida.  Capernaum,  Chorazin,  Magdala — what  arc 
you  but  mounds  of  earth,  heaps  of  ruins,  aggregation  of 
unmentionable  filth,  vermin,  stench ;  slaughter-houses  and 
tallow-factories  and  boneyards  outdone  in  nauseating 
odors.  Slumdom  in  the  world's  cities,  surpassed  in  all 
that  is  degenerate,  why  all  this?  Let  the  unbeliever  read 
with  unbiased  mind  the  clarion  blasts  of  prophecy,  and 
then  hasten  here  with  all  speed.  Let  him  cross  the  ocean 
aboard  the  fastest  greyhound  that  plunges  across  the 
briny  deep;  let  him  hasten  to  this  land  sacred  in  Bible 
story — the  land  chosen  by  the  God  of  Abraham,  Isaac, 
and  Jacob  for  a  chosen  people — a  land  where  the  God  of 
science  and  religion  manifested  Himself  so  noticeablv  to 
mankind  that  the  whole  range  of  history  chose  the  Christ 


Jerusalem  to  the  Sea  of  Galilee.  309 

as  the  pivot  upon  which  it  would  swing,  pointing  with 
one  hand  to  the  eternal  past,  and  with  the  other  to  the 
eternal  now ;  let  him  come  here,  look  upon  these  scenes, 
and  he  will  forever  be  a  different  but  wiser  man.  But 
he  who  comes  here  biased  by  poisonous  prejudice  may 
find  that  which  will  add  to  his  stock  of  gangrene. 

Here,  as  recorded  in  Luke  v,  Christ  entered  a  ship, 
had  it  pushed  out  from  the  land,  and  taught  the  people. 
Here  Simon,  having  toiled  all  night  and  taken  nothing, 
being  advised  by  the  Savior  to  "launch  out  into  the  deep," 
obeyed  and  "inclosed  a  great  multitude  of  fishes,  and  their 
net  brake."  Obeying  the  command  not  only  secured  for 
him  more  fish  than  he  could  manage,  but  also  a  quantity 
sufficient  to  load,  not  only  his  own  ship,  but  that  of  his 
partners  till  they  both  "began  to  sink."     (Luke  v,  5-7.) 

Then  Peter,  James,  and  John  were  astonished  and 
fearful,  but  the  King  of  Men  said,  "Fear  not ;  from  hence- 
forth thou  shalt  catch  men."  "And  when  they  had 
brought  their  ships  to  land,  they  forsook  all,  and  followed 
Him."     (Luke  v,  10,  11.) 

Here  Christ  presented  those  wonderful  parables. 
(Matt,  xiii,  1-52.)  Here  "He  rebuked  the  winds  and 
the  sea,  and  there  was  a  great  calm."  (Matt,  viii,  24-27.) 
Just  across  on  yonder' s  precipice  the  swine  took  a  tumble 
into  the  sea,  proving  that  a  hog  prefers  death  by  drown- 
ing to  the  company  of  devils.     (Matt,  viii,  28-34.) 

Having  fed  the  five  thousand,  He  saw  His  disciples 
laboring  against  a  contrary  wind,  and  "went  unto  them, 
walking  on  the  sea."  (Matt  xiv,  25.)  A  contrary  wind 
on  the  Sea  of  Galilee  means  much.  Though  the  lake  is 
no  more  than  fourteen  miles  in  length,  il  is  so  situated 
that  a  light  wind  causes  a  very  rough  surface,  and  squalls 
are  frequent. 

When  a  temporal  kingdom  would  force  Him  to  pay 


3io 


Around  the  World. 


taxes,  He  sent  Peter  down  to  the  Sea  of  Galilee  with  a 
fish-hook  to  have  the  fish  foot  his  bills,  saying-,  "Go  thou 
to  the  sea,  and  cast  a  hook,  and  take  up  the  fish  that 
first  cometh  up ;  and  when  thou  hast  opened  his  month, 
thou  shalt  find  a  piece  of  money ;  that  take,  and  give 
unto  them  for  Me  and  thee."     (Matt,  xvii,  27.) 

No  earthly  king  ever  proved  his  equal,  yet  He  was 
crucified  after  a  judge  said,  "I  find  no  fault  in  Him." 
But  a  more  extraordinary  event  than  all  these  occurred 
on  these  waters. 

After  the  resurrection,  a  voice  is  heard  as  the  dis- 
ciples are  ont  on  the  lake.  It  is  a  familiar  voice,  yet  un- 
expected. Hear  the  voice:  "Children,  have  you  any 
meat?"  The  reply.  "No,"  brings  a  repetition  of  the 
miracle  of  the  fishes.  Then  that  disciple  whom  Jesus 
loved  said,  "It  is  the  Lord,"  and  in  a  moment  Peter,  im- 
petuous Peter,  plunged  into  the  water  without  waiting 
for  formalities  or  caring  what  any  one  else  did,  and  swam 
to  the  risen  Lord.  On  shore  a  fire  was  noticed,  bread 
was  at  hand,  and  from  the  net  fish  were  secured  and  a 
meal  was  enjoyed.     (John  xxi,  1-14.) 

Safed  is  situated  on  an  eminence,  being,  as  many 
think,  "the  city  set  on  a  hill  that  can  not  be  hid,"  men- 
tioned by  Jesus  in  Matt,  v,  14. 

Safed  is  one  of  the  four  cities  in  Palestine  of  which  it 
is  said  by  the  Jews  that  the  world  would  come  to  an  end 
at  once  if  prayer  should  cease  to  be  offered  in  them. 
These  cities  arc  Jerusalem,  Hebron,  Tiberias,  and  Safed. 

Safed  has  twenty-five  thousand  inhabitants,  eleven 
thousand  being  Mohammedans  and  at  least  four  thou- 
sand Jews,  the  latter  having  a  tradition  that  the  Mes- 
siah is  to  come  from  Safed. 

Safed  and  Tiberias  are  yoked  together  in  the  bank- 
ing business  if  in  no  other  way,  bank-notes  being  issued 


Jerusalem  to  the  Sea  of  Galilee.  3 1 1 

by  the  banks  of  the  two  cities  good  in  these  two  cities 
only.  The  largest  bank-note  issued  has  the  value  of  four 
cents  (American)  ;  the  next  is  worth  two  cents;  the  next 
one  cent ;  and  the  smallest  equals  one-tenth  of  a  cent,  one 
mill ;  and  with  such  currency  the  business  of  these  cities 
is  transacted. 

Retracing  our  steps,  we  return  to  Nazareth  by  way  of 
the  Mount  of  Beatitudes  and  to  the  north  of  Mount  Ta- 
bor, the  traditional  site  of  the  transfiguration. 


XXII 
NAZARETH  TO  DAMASCUS. 

VIA  CARMEL,  ACRE,  TYRE,  SIDON,  AND  BEIRUT — OVER  THE 
LEBANONS — SLAUGHTER  OF  CHRISTIANS  AT  DAMASCUS 
— SEVENTY  THOUSAND  CHOLERA  VICTIMS — STRAIGHT 
STREET. 

From  Nazareth  the  plain  of  Esdraelon  was  traversed 
as  before,  and  Sunday  spent  at  Haifa.  On  Monday  I 
embarked  for  Beirut  aboard  a  Khedivial  steamer  run- 
ning on  the  coasting  line.  Acre,  situated  just  across  the 
Bay  of  Acre  from  Haifa,  was  the  first  point  of  impor- 
tance noticed,  boasting  of  a  population  of  five  thousand 
souls.  Acre,  on  account  of  its  favorable  location,  has 
long  been  called  the  "Key  of  Palestine,"  but  is  second- 
ary to  both  Haifa  and  Jaffa  as  a  port  of  entry.  History 
says  of  it:  "It  was  allotted  to  Asher,  but  never  con- 
quered. (Judges  i,  31.)  It  was  commonly  reckoned 
a  Phcenicean  city.  Under  the  Ptolemies  it  became  im- 
portant and  was  called  Ptolemais.  Antiochus  the  Great 
subsequently  seized  the  city,  and  attached  it  to  his  Syrian 
dominions ;  it  figured  also  in  the  wars  of  the  Maccabees. 
It  was  here  that  the  Knights  of  Saint  John  prolonged 
for  forty-three  days  their  gallant  resistance  to  the  Sul- 
tan Kalawun  of  Egypt.  Sixty  thousand  Christian  citi- 
zens and  soldiers  were,  on  this  occasion,  slain  or  sold 
as  slaves.  In  1799,  Napoleon  besieged  Acre,  and  was 
prevented  from  taking  it  by  the  English  under  Sir  Sid- 

312 


Nazareth  to  Damascus.  313 

hey  Smith.     In  1840  the  town  was  taken  from  the  Egyp- 
tians for  the  Turks  by  Sir  Charles  Napier." 

Of  Acre,  Dean  Stanley  said :  "The  peculiarity  of 
Acre  lies  in  its  many  sieges,  by  Baldwin,  by  Saladin,  by 
Richard,  by  Khalil  in  the  Middle  Ages;  by  Napoleon, 
by  Ibrahim  Pasha,  and  by  Sir  Robert  Stafford  in  later 
times.  It  is  thus  the  one  city  of  Palestine  which  has  ac- 
quired distinct  relation  with  the  Western  world  of  mod- 
ern history,  analogous  to  those  of  Cresarea  with  the 
Western  world  of  ancient  history.  But  the  singular  fate 
which  it  enjoyed  at  the  close  of  the  crusades  gives  it  a 
special  interest,  never  to  be  forgotten  by  those  who,  in 
the  short  space  of  an  hour's  walk,  can  pass  round  its 
broken  walls.  Within  that  narrow  circuit — between  the 
Saracen  armies  on  one  side,  and  the  roar  of  the  Medi- 
terranean on  the  other — were  cooped  up  the  remnant  of 
the  crusading  armies,  after  they  had  been  driven  from 
every  other  part  of  Palestine.  Within  that  narrow  circuit 
the  kings  of  Jerusalem  and  Cyprus  ;  the  princes  of  An- 
tioch  ;  the  counts  of  Tripoli  and  Sidon  ;  the  great  masters 
of  the  Hospital,  the  Temple,  and  the  Teutonic  orders;  the 
Republics  of  Venice,  Genoa,  and  Pisa;  the  pope's  legate; 
the  kings  of  France  and  England, — assumed  an  inde- 
pendent command.  Seventeen  tribunals  exercised  the 
power  of  life  and  death.  All  the  eyes  of  Europe  were 
then  fixed  on  that  spot.  Acre  contained  in  itself  a  com- 
plete miniature  of  feudal  Europe  and  Latin  Christendom. 
Napoleon  had  cause  to  remember  Acre  as  the  place 
where  he  suffered  his  first  defeat,  his  first  Waterloo." 

Speeding  northward.  Tyre  is  passed,  a  city  founded 
2750  B.  C.  In  Joshua  xix,  29,  Tyre  is  called  "The  strong 
city."  It  was  Hiram,  king  of  Tyre,  that  provided  Solo- 
mon with  cedars  from  Lebanon  and  workmen  for  build- 
ing the  temple  at  Jerusalem.     The  Assyrians  took  Tyre 


314  Around  the  World. 

by  siege,  then  evacuated  the  city.  It  was  taken  584  B.  C. 
by  Nebuchadnezzar,  who  besieged  it  no  less  than  thir- 
teen years  before  the  capture.  But  in  333  B.  C,  Alexan- 
der the  Great  tried  to  take  the  city,  whose  ramparts  were 
said  to  have  been  one  hundred  feet  in  height.  The  old 
city  being  situated  on  an  island,  an  enormous  mole  was 
built  by  the  aid  of  the  Cyprians  and  the  Phoenicians,  and 
the  city  taken  after  a  seven  months'  siege  by  that  general 
who  is  said  to  have  wept  because  he  could  find  no  more 
worlds  to  conquer.  Had  he  only  marched  eastward  to 
Cathay,  his  whole  army  might  have  employed  itself  in 
measuring  strength  with  the  rat-eating,  pyrotechnic 
Chinese.  Strabo  stated  that  Alexander  utterly  destroyed 
the  city,  burnt  it  to  the  ground,  mercilessly  put  to  the 
sword  all  who  resisted,  hung  two  thousand  of  its  citi- 
zens along  the  seashore,  and  sold  thirty  thousand  of  its 
inhabitants  into  slavery  in  order  to  enrich  his  coffers; 
and,  in  spite  of  it  all,  the  city  recovered  its  greatness 
again  in  262,  just  seventy  years  after.  Thus  history 
records   the    fulfilling   of   the   prophecy    of    Isaiah  xxiii, 

15-17- 

Paul  once  sailed  from  here.  The  Savior  visited  it, 
and  declared  that  it  would  have  repented  in  sackcloth 
and  ashes  if  as  much  work  had  been  bestowed  upon  it 
and  Sidon  as  had  been  devoted  to  Bethsaida  and  Chora- 
zin.  Smith  said  of  Tyre:  "It  had  been  the  parent  of 
cities  which  at  a  distant  period  had  enjoyed  a  long  life 
and  had  died  and  it  had  survived  more  than  fifteen  hun- 
dred years  its  greatest  colony  Carthage.  It  had  outlived 
Egyptian  Thebes,  and  Babylon,  and  ancient  Jerusalem. 
It  had  seen  Grecian  cities  rise  and  fall."  After  being 
taken  by  the  Saracens  it  never  recovered  its  former  great- 
ness, but  fell  into  ruin.  A  traveler  through  here  in  1697 
wrote  that  he  saw  "not  so  much  as  one  entire  house  left." 


Nazareth  to  Damascus.  315 

During  the  seventeenth  and  eighteenth  centuries  Tyre 
was  partially  rebuilt,  and  now  contains  a  population  of 
about  five  thousand.  Of  old  Tyre  it  may  be  said,  that 
even  the  dust  has  been  scraped  from  the  rocks  and  thrown 
into  the  sea  by  the  driving'  winds  and  the  decay  incident 
to  Time's  forward  march. 

Passing  on  north  from  Tyre,  the  ruins  of  Sarepta  are 
pointed  out  by  the  boatmen  familiar  with  every  site  of 
interest.  Sarepta,  the  Zarephath  of  the  Old  Testament, 
was  where  Elijah  procured  the  restoration  of  the  widow's 
child.  (Kings  xvii,  8-24.)  Sarepta  is  scarcely  lost  to 
view  when  Sidon  presents  itself  for  consideration.  Sidon, 
a  city  of  about  eleven  thousand  people,  is  even  older  than 
Tvre,  being  mentioned  in  Genesis  x,  19.  Homer  thought 
so  much  of  Sidon  that  he  gives  it  particular  mention  in 
his  writings.  In  1  Kings  v,  6,  it  is  stated  that  none  "had 
the  skill  to  hew  timbers  like  the  Sidonians."  Strabo 
mentioned  it  as  being  celebrated  for  its  prowess  in  art, 
science,  and  philosophy,  and  added,  "For  wealth,  com- 
merce, luxury,  vice,  and  power,  it  was  unequaled  in  the 
Levant,  until  Tyre  outstripped  it,  and  Shalmaneser  con- 
quered it."  Xerxes  depended  upon  the  Sidonians  for 
the  success  of  his  navy  in  the  invasion  of  Greece.  In 
351  B.  C.,  Sidon  rebelled,  or  revolted,  from  its  Persian 
ruler,  while  Persia  was  engaged  in  a  contest  with  Egypt. 
The  treachery  of  a  Sidonian  Benedict  Arnold  delivered 
Sidon  into  the  hands  of  the  Persian  soldiers.  Thereupon 
the  Sidonians  shut  themselves  up  within  the  walls,  and 
set  the  city  on  fire,  destroying  not  only  their  houses,  but 
also  sacrificing  themselves  to  the  flames.  It  is  said  that 
no  less  than  forty  thousand  persons  perished  in  the  flames. 

The  revolving  screw  pushes  the  ship  northward,  and 
Beirut  is  reached,  where  a  night  was  spent  prior  to  be- 
ginning the  trip  over  the  Lebanon  Mountains  to  Damas- 


3 1 6  Around  the  World. 

cus,  ninety  miles  inland  by  rail.  Beirut  offers  little  to 
the  sight-seer,  though  it  boasts  of  one  hundred  and  twenty 
thousand  people.  The  trip  to  Dog  River  is  simply  a 
pleasant  drive,  as  nothing  is  to  be  seen  save  a  few  Roman 
inscriptions,  which  are  as  lacking  in  interest  as  they  are 
dim.  The  American  College,  located  here,  is  regarded 
as  the  largest  American  institution  of  learning  not  on 
American  soil. 

Leaving  Beirut  at  7  A.  A  I.,  the  train  rises  over  the 
Lebanon  Mountains,  using  the  rack-and-pinion  system, 
reaching  a  height  measuring  four  thousand  five  hundred 
and  eighty  feet  above  sea-level.  At  this  high  point  the 
scenery  is  a  panorama  of  beauty.  Though  twenty  miles 
from  the  Mediterranean,  one  is  so  deceived  by  surround- 
ings that  the  sea  seems  to  nestle  only  a  few  hundred  rods 
away.  Mount  Hermon's  snowy  slopes  and  rugged  peak 
present  a  vision  of  eternal  cold.  At  Hermon's  feet  be- 
gin many  a  stream  which,  uniting,  form  rushing  rivers. 
As  the  train  speeds  towards  Damascus,  after  leaving  the 
slow  rack-and-pinion  process,  it  winds  its  way  alongside 
the  Litany  River,  which  rushes  onward  as  a  restless 
mountain  current.  The  line  enters  the  anti-Lebanon 
country,  and,  when  fifty-four  miles  from  Beirut,  passes 
over  the  watershed  at  an  altitude  of  four  thousand  six 
hundred  and  ten  feet,  the  highest  point  en  route  to  Da- 
mascus. Thence  the  valley  of  the  Barada  is  reached. 
Barada  is  the  Arabic  name  for  the  Abana  of  Bible  his- 
tory. Along  this  stream's  thickly-wooded  banks  the 
puffing  locomotive  dashes,  bringing  to  the  interested  pas- 
senger memories  of  days  long  since  faded  into  the  long 
night  of  history.  This  rushing  mountain  torrent  glides 
along  between  well-worn  rocks,  past  trees  that  have  for 
years  watched  its  behavior,  but  are  now  being  whipped 
about    as    fallen    giants    moored   to   the    eroding   banks ; 


Nazareth  to  Damascus.  317 

through  orchards  ladened  with  blossoms  of  many  colors, 
presenting  a  scene  beautiful, — a  spectacle  that  for  variety 
and  depth  of  color  would  contest  successfully  with 
Japan's  cherry-blossoms  at  their  best. 

At  Ain  Fijeh,  fourteen  miles  from  Damascus,  a  river 
bursts  forth  from  the  mountain  slope  and  empties  into 
the  Barada,  though  it  is  more  than  twice  as  large  as 
the  Barada  up  to  this  point.  More  than  threefold  its 
former  size,  the  river  hastens  on  to  Damascus,  with  the 
train  ever  keeping  close  company.  When  a  few  miles 
out,  the  towers  and  minarets  of  Damascus  burst  upon 
the  view  as  the  train  swings  around  a  curve.  Soon  the 
Berkamah  station  is  reached,  where  most  passengers 
alight,  as  the  hotels  are  nearest  this  station.  The  train 
goes  on,  skirting  the  borders  of  the  city  a  mile  and  a 
half,  reaching  the  Meidan  Station. 

Damascus,  with  its  population  of  a  quarter  of  a  mil- 
lion people,  is  a  conundrum.  Josephus  declared  that  it 
was  in  existence  before  Abraham  was  called  by  the  Most 
High  God  to  found  the  chosen  race.  Traditions  are  ex- 
tant throughout  the  Orient  placing  the  events  connected 
with  the  infancy  of  the  human  race  about  Damascus. 
Shakespeare  has  fallen  in  line  with  the  general  drift  of 
thought  and  in  King  Henry  vi,  1-3,  says: 

"Nay,  stand  thou  back,  I  will  not  budge  a  foot; 
This  be  Damascus;  be  thou  cursed  Cain, 
To  slay  thy  brother  Abel,  if  thou  wilt." 

Other  cities  have  risen,  fallen,  decayed.  While  Baby- 
lon is  a  heap  of  ruins  far  ont  in  the  desert,  Damascus 
is  what  Isaiah  vii.  8,  called  it,  "The  head  of  Syria." 
Genesis  xiv,  15,  tells  of  Damascus;  and  what  was  once 
Damascus  is  Damascus  still.  True  it  has  been  destroyed, 
but  Damascus  will  not  down.  Like  the  fabled  phoenix, 
it  rises  from  its  ashes  as  if  ordained  to  live  though  cen- 


318  Around  the  World. 

turies  grow  old  and  gray  with  weary  years.  If  I  would 
venture  an  opinion,  I  would  say  Damascus  owes  her  ex- 
istence to  the  rivers  which  go  coursing  through  her 
streets.  Without  them,  she  would  be  a  worthless  spot 
amid  a  great  desert,  not  even  attractive  to  a  weary,  wan- 
dering Bedouin.  "Are  not  these  rivers  of  Damascus  to 
be  preferred  to  the  waters  of  Israel?"  Greek  writers 
have  called  the  Abana  "the  river  of  gold."  Conybeare 
and  Howson's  "Life  and  Epistles  of  Saint  Panl"  refers 
to  this  city  with  the  following  language :  "This  stream 
is  the  inestimable,  unexhausted  treasure  of  Damascus. 
The  habitations  of  men  must  always  have  been  gathered 
round  it,  as  the  Nile  has  inevitably  attracted  an  immemo- 
rial population  to  its  banks.  The  desert  is  a  fortification 
around  Damascus.  The  river  is  its  life.  It  is  drawn  out 
into  water-courses  and  spread  in  all  directions.  For 
miles  around  it  is  a  wilderness  of  gardens — gardens  with 
roses  amid  the  tangled  shrubberies,  and  with  fruit  in  the 
branches  overhead.  Everywhere  among  the  trees  the 
murmur  of  unseen  rivulets  is  heard.  Even  in  the  city 
which  is  in  the  midst  of  the  gardens,  the  clear  rushing 
of  the  current  is  a  perpetual  refreshment.  Every  (large) 
dwelling  has  its  fountain,  and  at  night,  when  the  sun  has 
set  behind  Mount  Lebanon,  the  lights  of  the  city  are 
seen  flashing  on  the  waters." 

As  one  walks  the  streets  of  Damascus  he  is  impressed 
that  any  complimentary  description  of  the  city  is  over- 
drawn and  entirely  uncalled  for.  It  is  only  at  a  distance, 
or  from  some  towering  minaret,  that  Damascus  presents 
even  the  semblance  of  beauty.  It  is  no  wonder  that  the 
scribe  who  desires  to  paint  a  pleasant  word-picture  of 
Damascus,  takes  Damascus  as  a  subject,  and  then  swings 
out  from  it  in  his  quest  for  subject-matter.  It  is  almost 
like  the  divine  who  is  guilty  of  taking  his  text,  and  then 


Nazareth  to  Damascus. 


3r9 


sailing  away  so  far  that  at  no  time  is  he  within  signaling 
distance  of  it,  nor  can  he  see  the  tops  of  its  masts  above 
the  rolling"  sea.  In  the  following  extract  on  Damascus, 
note  the  view-point  of  the  writer.  He  knew  better  than 
to  choose  as  a  point  of  observation  any  position  within 
this  dirty,  filthy,  cholera-ridden  city.  After  two  com- 
plete sentences,  he  packs  his  trunk  and  hies  away  to  a 
spot  without  the  city. 

"Damascus  remains  the  true  type  of  an  Oriental  city. 
Caravans  come  and  go  from  Bagdad  and  Mecca,  as  of 
old ;  merchants  sit  and  smoke  over  their  costly  bales  in 
dim  bazaars ;  drowsy  groups  sip  their  coffee  in  kiosks 
overhanging  the  river;  and  all  the  picturesque  costumes 
of  the  East  melt  and  mingle  in  the  streets.  The  first 
view  of  the  town  from  one  of  the  neighboring  ridges  is 
like  a  view  of  the  earthly  paradise.  Marble  minarets, 
domes,  massive  towers,  and  terraces  of  level  roofs,  rise 
out  of  a  sea  of  foliage,  the  white  buildings  shining  with 
ivory  softness  through  the  broad,  dark  clumps  of  ver- 
dure, which,  miles  in  depth  and  leagues  in  circuit,  girdle 
the  city,  making  it  as  the  people  love  to  say  'a  pearl  set  in 
diamonds.'  It  is  a  wilderness  of  bloom  and  fragrance 
and  fruitage,  where  olive  and  pomegranate,  orange  and 
apricot,  plum  and  walnut,  mingle  their  varied  tints  of 
green,  sweet  with  roses  and  jasmine  blossom,  and  alive 
with  babbling  rivulets.  And  close  up  to  the  ed^c  of  the 
gardens  conies  the  yellow  desert,  and  around  it  are  the 
bare  mountains,  with  the  snowy  crest  of  Hermon  stand- 
ing like  a  sentinel  with  shining  helmet,  on  the  west,  'the 
tower  of  Lebanon,  which  looketh  towards  Damascus.' ' 

Paul,  an  unbeliever  at  Jerusalem,  "desired  letters  to 
Damascus  to  the  synagogues"  (Acts  ix,  12),  which  let- 
ters he  secured.  He  hoped  to  put  an  end  to  Christianity, 
and  expected  to  bring  "bound  to  Jerusalem"  any  whom 


320  Around  the  World. 

he  should  find,  "whether  they  be  men  or  women."  But 
what  happened?  "As  he  journeyed,  he  came  near  Dam- 
ascus," and  suddenly  something  happened  and  he  fell  to 
the  earth.  In  a  few  seconds  came  that  historic  and 
laconic  reply,  "Lord,  what  wilt  Thou  have  me  to  do?" 
(Acts  ix,  3-6.)  It  was  not  long  until  it  was  known  of 
him  that  "he  preached  Christ  in  the  synagogues,  that 
He  is  the  Son  of  God,  and  confounded  the  Jews  which 
dwelt  at  Damascus,  proving  that  this  is  very  Christ." 
(Acts  ix,  20-22.) 

Next  only  to  Jerusalem  among  strongholds  that  might 
well  be  termed  football  cities  stands  Damascus.  The 
soldiers  of  nearly  every  nation  have  encamped  here  to 
test  their  fighting  strength.  The  Persians,  Arabians, 
Greeks,  Egyptians,  and  Turks  have,  each  in  turn,  un- 
furled their  flags  above  the  Damascan  battlements,  and 
all  have  lowered  their  flags  and  hastened  away  in  com- 
plete rout,  except  the  Turks,  who  remain  in  possession 
of  the  city.  Alexander  the  Great,  wbile  besieging  Acre 
himself,  sent  his  general,  Parmenio,  to  capture  Damas- 
cus. But  the  butchering  of  Damascan  history  occurred 
in  i8(io.  An  article  in  the  Treaty  of  Paris,  signed  in 
1856,  provided  that  foreign  nations  should  not  interfere 
in  the  affairs  of  Turkey,  which  practically  placed  the 
Christians  at  the  mercy  of  the  sultan  and  his  treacherous 
underlings.  Being  encouraged  by  a  false  report  from 
the  mutiny  in  India,  Ahmed  Pasha  gave  an  order  to  mas- 
sacre the  Europeans  in  the  city  and  country.  The  ter- 
rible slaughter  began,  but  it  had  not  been  long  in  prog- 
ress until  a  chieftain  appeared  upon  the  scene ;  it  was 
Abd-el-Kader;  and  may  his  memory  never  fade  from  its 
deserved  rank  in  history !  Colonel  Churchill,  who  was 
conversant  with  the  situation,  wrote  the  following  in 
memory  of  the  chieftain,  who  proved  to  be  superior  to 
his  race : 


Nazareth  to  Damascus.  32 1 

".No  sooner  had  Abd-el-Kacler  gained  intelligence  of 
the  frightful  disaster  than  he  sent  out  his  faithful  Alger- 
ines  into  the  Christian  quarter,  with  orders  to  rescue  all 
the  wretched  sufferers  they  could  meet.  Hundreds  were 
safely  escorted  to  his  house  before  dark.  Many  rushed 
to  the  British  consulate.  As  night  advanced  fresh  hordes 
of  marauders — Kurds,  Arabs,  Druzes — entered  the  city, 
and  swelled  the  furious  mob  of  fanatics,  who,  now  glutted 
with  spoil,  began  to  cry  out  for  blood.  The  dreadful 
work  then  began.  All  through  that  awful  night  and  the 
whole  of  the  following  day  the  pitiless  massacre  went  on. 
Hundreds  disappeared,  hurried  away  to  distant  parts  of 
the  surrounding  country,  where  they  were  instantly  mar- 
ried to  Mohammedans.  The  churches  and  convents, 
which  in  the  first  paroxysm  of  terror  had  been  filled  to 
suffocation,  presented  piles  of  corpses,  mixed  up  promis- 
cuously with  the  wounded,  and  those  only  half  dead, 
whose  last  agonies  were  endured  amidst  flaming  beams 
and  calcined  blocks  of  stone  hurled  upon  them  with  earth- 
quake shock.  The  thoroughfares  were  choked  with  the 
slain.  To  say  that  the  Turks  took  no  means  whatever  to 
stay  this  huge  deluge  of  massacre  and  fire  would  be 
superfluous.  They  connived  at  it ;  they  instigated  it ; 
they  ordered  it ;  they  shared  in  it.  Abd-el-Kader  alone 
stood  between  the  living  and  the  dead.  Fast  as  his  Al- 
gerines  brought  in  those  whom  he  had  rescued,  he  con- 
soled them,  fed  them.  Forming  them  into  detached  par- 
ties, he  forwarded  them  under  successive  guards  to  the 
castle.  There,  as  the  terrible  day  closed  in,  nearly  twelve 
thousand,  of  all  ages  and  sexes,  were  collected  and 
huddled  together,  fruits  of  his  untiring  exertions.  There 
they  remained  for  weeks,  lying  on  the  bare  ground  with- 
out covering,  hardly  with  clothing,  exposed  to  the  sun's 
scorching  rays.     He  himself  was  now   menaced.      His 

21 


322 


Around  the  World. 


house  was  filled  with  hundreds  of  fugitives,  European 
consuls,  and  native  Christians.  The  Mohammedans, 
furious  at  being  thus  balked  of  their  prey,  advanced 
towards  it,  declaring  they  would  have  them.  Informed 
of  the  movement,  the  hero  coolly  ordered  his  horse  to 
be  saddled,  put  on  his  cuirass  and  helmet,  and  mounting, 
drew  his  sword.  His  faithful  followers  formed  around 
him,  brave  remnant  of  his  old  guard,  comrades  in  many 
a  well-fought  field,  illustrious  victors  of  the  Moulaia, 
where  twenty-five  hundred  men  under  his  inspiring  com- 
mand, attacked  the  army  of  the  emperor  of  Morocco, 
sixty  thousand  strong,  and  entirely  defeated  it.  The 
fanatics  came  in  sight.  Singly  he  charged  into  the  midst, 
and  drew  up.  'Wretches !'  he  exclaimed,  'is  this  the  way 
you  honor  the  prophet?  You  may  think  you  may  do  as 
you  please  with  the  Christians,  but  the  day  of  retribution 
will  come.  The  Franks  will  yet  turn  your  mosques  into 
churches.  Not  a  Christian  will  I  give  up.  They  are  my 
brothers.  Stand  back  or  I  will  give  my  men  orders  to 
fire.'  "*  The  crowd  dispersed.  Soon  the  French  and 
English  fleets  appeared  at  Beirut,  and  retribution  fol- 
lowed swiftly  upon  the  tracks  of  those  who  had  caused 
the  massacre.  A  fine  of  one  million  dollars  was  levied 
upon  the  city.  Ahmed  Pasha  was  executed,  along  with 
one  hundred  and  twenty  of  the  city  officials  connected 
with  the  outrage  of  the  century ;  no  less  than  four  hun- 
dred others  were  condemned  to  imprisonment  or  exile. 
To  Abd-el-Kader  is  due  the  credit  for  staying  the  mas- 
sacre. What  wonderful  words  those — "Not  a  Christian 
will  I  give  up ;  they  are  my  brothers" — to  come  from  the 
lips  of  a  follower  of  Islam  ! 

I  present  this  somewhat  lengthy  account  of  the  cruel 
Damascus    tragedy    because    international    jurisprudence 


*Cook's  Syria,  p.  246. 


Nazareth  to  Damascus. 


323 


regards  this  event  as  one  of  the  most  noteworthy  with 
which  it  has  contended. 

Damascus  has  no  less  than  two  hundred  and  forty- 
nine  mosques,  of  which  the  Great  Mosque  has  a  world- 
wide reputation.  From  one  of  its  towering-  minarets 
the  city  and  environs  were  viewed  in  a  most  satisfactory 
manner,  although  I  had  formerly  visited  the  chief  points 
of  interest,  such  as  the  house  of  Ananias,  and  the  house 
of  Naaman,  and  that  part  of  the  wall  where  Paul  was 
supposed  to  have  been  let  down  in  order  to  escape.  The 
Great  Mosque  is  five  hundred  feet  east  and  west,  and 
three  hundred  feet  north  and  south.  The  interior  has  a 
nave  with  aisles,  and  is  supported  by  columns.  Slippers 
must  be  put  on  at  the  door,  as  shoes  would  desecrate 
the  sacred  shrine.  The  Mohammedan,  in  his  effort  to 
surpass  many  Christians,  prays  five  times  a  day.  It 
matters  not  what  sort  of  business  is  on  hand,  he  drops 
everything  and  prostrates  himself  upon  his  prayer  rug, 
with  face  towards  Mecca.  A  biograph  is  the  only  instru- 
ment by  which  the  devotions  of  a  follower  of  Islam  can 
be  presented  properly  to  a  distant  people.  Many  a  time 
have  I  listened  to  the  muezzin,  the  call  to  prayers,  as  it 
is  made  from  the  lofty  minarets.  It  is  set  to  music  and 
a  part  of  it  in  English  means,  "God  is  God ;  there  is  no 
other  God  but  God,  and  Mohammed  is  His  prophet." 
In  the  transept  is  a  chapel  which  contains  the  head  of 
John  the  Baptist,  if  the  claims  of  Islam  be  true.  They 
also  declare  that  they  have  his  hand  in  Beirut  and  his 
feet  in  Tripoli. 

Passing  down  street  from  the  Great  Mosque  via  the 
bazaars  to  the  hotel,  I  noticed  a  crowd  of  men  gazing 
at  a  poster  that  had  been  pasted  on  a  tree  in  the  middle 
of  the  street.  Being  anxious  to  know  what  it  contained, 
I  requested  my  dragoman  to  read  it  and  tell  me  what  it 


324  Around  the  World. 

announced.  He  complied,  and  reported  that  it  stated 
that  seventy  thousand  people  died  of  cholera  the  past 
year  in  Damascus,  and  that  sixty  thousand  of  them  were 
infidels  and  only  ten  thousand  were  Mohammedans, 
showing  that  Islam  was  an  antidote  to  that  disease.  Be- 
fore leaving  that  Mosque,  I  should  have  mentioned  that 
one  of  the  minarets  is  called  the  Minaret  of  Jesus,  be- 
cause a  tradition  affirms  that  when  Jesus  comes  to  judge 
the  world,  he  will  descend  to  this  minaret  first. 

One  of  the  streets  of  Damascus  is  called  Straight 
Street,  the  one  Paul  traversed  when  he  entered  the  city. 
It  is  far  enough  from  being  straight  to  be  called  Crooked 
Street.  In  referring  to  the  Bible,  it  is  noticed  that  the 
Book  does  not  say,  or  even  infer,  that  it  is  actually 
straight,  but  simply  refers  to  it  as  the  "Street  called 
Straight."  To  say  a  thing  is  straight,  and  again  to  say 
that  a  thing  is  simply  called  straight,  are  two  things  as 
different  as  crooked  and  straight. 


XXIII 
DAMASCUS   TO  ATHENS 

ESCAPE    FROM     TURKISH     QUARANTINE HOLY    LAND    CIT- 
IES    REVISITED — ALONGSIDE     CRETE — CLASSIC     ATHENS. 

I  had  finished  my  work  at  Damascus  and  retired  to 
well-earned  rest  the  second  night  in  the  city,  expecting 
to  arise  on  the  morrow  and  proceed  to  Baalbek ;  but  at 
midnight — that  lonesome  hour  of  midnight,  when  one 
day  is  dying  and  another  is  springing  into  life — who 
should  come  to  the  hotel  but  a  messenger  from  the  Brit- 
ish consulate  informing  us  that  we  should  leave  the  city 
at  once,  as  an  order  had  been  issued  placing  the  great 
city  of  Damascus  and  Baalbek  under  quarantine. 

Paul  once  escaped  from  the  city  during  the  dark 
hours ;  but  I  lingered  within  the  portals  till  seven  o'clock, 
the  time  of  the  departure  of  the  first  train,  and  the  last 
one  also,  before  the  decree  went  into  effect.  I  shall  ever 
remember  the  crowd  gathered  at  the  depot.  Each  per- 
son who  could  get  away,  having  gathered  his  or  her 
effects,  had  tumbled  them  in  upon  the  floor  of  the  wait- 
ing-room and  upon  the  long  platform.  What  a  mob ! 
Every  one  pushing  his  neighbor  and  climbing  over  lug- 
gage of  every  description  ;  old  trunks  that  had  weathered 
the  better  fraction  of  a  century ;  old  sacks,  well  filled ; 
saddle-bags ;  old  carpets  wrapped  about  wearing  apparel ; 
boxes  of  provisions ;  tents  for  camping ;  narghilehs 
(pipes)  by  the  wholesale;  and  numerous  articles  not  con- 

325 


226  Around  the  World. 

venient  to  mention  with  English  words.  Veiled  women, 
with  commanding-,  tyrant  husbands,  hurried  here  and 
there.  A  general  scramble  for  tickets  added  interest  to 
the  lively  scene.  Jews  were  walking  to  and  fro,  weep- 
ing, having  been  refused  tickets,  as  no  Jews  were  per- 
mitted to  leave,  the  cholera  prevailing  more  generally  in 
their  quarter  than  elsewhere.  As  that  last  train  steamed 
away,  those  Damascenes  left  behind  looked  forlorn,  as 
they  were  compelled  to  turn  to  their  homes  and  face  the 
possibility  of  falling  before  that  dreaded  disease. 

Rejoicing  over  the  hair-breadth  escape,  I  paid  little 
attention  to  the  scenery  while  crossing  the  Lebanons,  oc- 
cupying myself  chiefly  in  recalling  the  events  of  the  so- 
journ in  the  quarantined  city,  and  returning  thanks  for 
deliverance  from  the  horrors  of  a  prospective  Turkish 
imprisonment. 

This  road  is  the  only  one  known  to  me  where  the 
engine  is  changed  from  one  end  of  the  train  to  the  other, 
from  time  to  time.  The  track,  having  been  headed  off 
by  mountain  fastnesses,  could  go  no  farther,  requiring 
acute  angles ;  hence  the  change  of  front  at  every  such 
point.  I  am  told  that  this  railway  project  put  the  world's 
best  engineers  to  a  severe  test,  and  the  doubling  system 
was  substituted  as  the  only  solution. 

On  arriving  at  Beirut  I  boarded  the  first  outbound 
steamer  for — I  did  not  care  where ;  anywhere  would  do, 
excepting  to  Constantinople,  in  order  to  avoid  the  Turk- 
ish quarantine.  As  my  tezkereh  was  signed  last  by  the 
officials  at  Damascus,  it  would  not  be  discreet  to  land 
again  at  a  Turkish  port,  as  the  paper  would  be  self- 
convicting  of  a  Damascus  residence  and  a  sure  passport 
to  the  quarantine  station. 

Securing  a  ticket  for  Piraeus,  Greece,  I  stepped  aboard 
the    steamer,    and    was    soon    sailing    southward,    this 


Damascus  to  Athens. 


327 


steamer  having  been  scheduled  to  make  the  trip  via 
Sidon,  Tyre,  Acre,  Haifa,  Csesarea,  Jaffa,  Port  Said,  and 
Alexandria.  For  this  I  was  indeed  glad,  as  it  gave  me 
another  opportunity  to  see  these  very  historic  points. 
The  vessel  taken  being  a  mailboat  of  the  Khedivial  Mail 
Line,  a  stop  of  several  hours  was  made  at  Haifa,  under 
the  shadow  of  Mount  Carmel,  and  at  Jaffa  and  Port  Said. 
So  much  time  was  spent  in  port  that  we  were  nearly 
three  days  in  reaching  Alexandria,  where  we  were  tran- 
shipped to  another  and  larger  vessel,  the  Prince  Abbas 
of  the  same  line,  which  was  of  only  2,200  tons  register. 

Having  nine  hours  in  Alexandria,  I  went  ashore  and 
renewed  old  impressions  of  this  city,  where  Greek  is  very 
much  in  evidence,  the  city  having  been  founded  by  Alex- 
ander the  Great.  Passing  out  of  the  harbor  for  Greece, 
Forts  Ada  and  Pharos  were  observed  to  the  right.  Pharos 
being  the  site  where  one  of  the  seven  original  Wonders 
of  the  World  stood. 

Since  reference  has  been  made  to  the  seven  original 
Wonders  of  the  World,  I  shall  here  mention  them  in 
their  order  of  precedence. 

First,  the  Pyramids  of  Egypt ;  second,  the  Tomb  of 
Mausolus,  king  of  Caria,  erected  by  his  queen ;  third, 
the  Temple  of  Diana  at  Ephesus,  supposed  to  have  been 
two  hundred  and  twenty  years  in  building,  being  sup- 
ported by  one  hundred  and  twenty-nine  columns  of  mar- 
ble sixty  feet  high,  each  weighing  one  hundred  and  fifty 
tons;  fourth,  the  Walls  and  Hanging  Gardens  of  Baby- 
lon ;  fifth,  the  Colossus  of  Rhodes,  a  bronze  statue  of 
Apollo;  sixth,  the  Statue  of  Jupiter  at  Olympia,  sculp- 
tured in  ivory  and  gold  by  Phidias ;  and  seventh,  the 
Pharos  at  Alexandria,  which  was  a  watch-tower  built 
of  white  marble,  so  high  that  it  could  be  seen  for  one 
hundred  miles.     All  of  these  have   surrendered   at   the 


328  Around  the  World. 

behest  of  time,  excepting  the  Pyramids  of  Egypt,  and 
they  are  gradually  declining,  in  slow  but  sure  process  of 
passing  in  their  checks. 

A  day's  sail  to  the  north  by  west  brought  us  alongside 
Crete,  which  figured  so  prominently  in  Grecian  myth- 
ology. Here  legends  grew  with  the  rapidity  of  mush- 
rooms. A  volume  would  be  required  to  present  Crete, 
doing  justice  to  Minos,  Minotaur,  Theseus,  Ariadne,  and 
Zeus. 

Acts  xxvii,  12-21,  sets  forth  the  fact  that  Paul  was 
once  here  during  rough  weather,  with  questionable  pros- 
pects as  to  the  outcome.  The  last  verse  tells  how  they 
escaped  to  shore,  "some  on  boards,  and  some  on  broken 
pieces  of  the  ship." 

For  half  a  day  we  sailed  along  the  shore  of  Crete  in 
full  view  of  Mount  Ida,  a  site  sacred  in  story.  The 
ship  then  threaded  her  way  among  the  islands, — San- 
torin,  Policandro,  Siphanto,  Serpho,  Thermia,  and  many 
others,  reaching  the  Grecian  shores  on  Friday.  Ap- 
proaching Piraeus,  Mount  Hymettus  rises  in  front  of 
the  prow  and  to  the  right,  while  the  Bay  of  Salamis  lies 
to  the  left,  where  Xerxes  saw  his  fleet  destroyed  upon 
which  he  had  depended  for  the  capture  of  Greece.  The 
very  headland  is  pointed  out  where  Xerxes  stood  as  he 
watched  the  famous  battle  of  Salamis.  Turning  a  sharp 
corner,  Piraeus,  the  principal  port  of  Greece,  was  en- 
tered, where  shipping,  floating  flags  of  many  nations,  in- 
dicated an  important  center.  I  landed,  passed  the  cus- 
toms examination,  and  contracted  to  be  taken  to  the 
railroad  station  in  order  to  take  the  train  for  Athens. 
When  half  way  to  the  station,  the  carriage  stopped,  and 
I  was  informed  that  I  would  have  to  pay  a  certain  num- 
ber of  francs  more  than  the  contract  price,  whereupon  I 
stepped  from  the  carriage  and  walked  the  remainder  of 


a 


r. 
i 
n 


3     ^ 


Damascus  to  Athens. 


329 


the  way,  reminding  the  would-be  extortioner  that  he 
deserved  a  first-class  caning-,  but,  to  return  good  for  evil, 
I  would  just  leave  him  with  his  cab  in  the  middle  of  the 
street  to  dream  over  the  unwisdom  of  his  course  for  sup- 
posing that  I  could  be  thus  imposed  upon,  who  had  seen 
more  people,  visited  more  countries,  and  knew  more  of 
the  world  and  its  ways  in  a  moment  than  he  had  ever 
dreamed  of.  He  wilted  like  the  last  rose  of  summer ; 
but  I  was  not  to  be  coaxed  into  being  his  patron  after 
he  had  made  a  donkey  of  himself. 

Very  little  time  was  spent  in  Piraeus,  as  Athens,  eight 
and  one-half  miles  inland,  was  the  objective  point.  As 
the  train  rolls  on  toward  the  classic  city,  the  tourist  bids 
history  pass  in  grand  review  before  the  portals  of  mem- 
ory. Antiquity  is  transformed  into  present  realities  as 
one  recalls  that  here  Xerxes  met  his  Waterloo ;  here 
Socrates,  Plato,  and  Aristotle  contributed  their  wealth 
of  thought ;  here  in  the  valley,  no  doubt,  Demosthenes 
rehearsed  his  orations  before  delivering  them  before  the 
assembled  Athenian  multitudes.  Every  signal  from  the 
puffing  engine  causes  the  mind  to  think  of  some  historic 
personage  who  never  dreamed  of  the  advent  of  the  iron 
horse. 

Long  before  Athens  is  reached  the  Acropolis  rises  to 
welcome  the  traveler.  Divest  Athens  of  all  else,  and  the 
Acropolis  will  offer  sufficient  interest  to  call  students 
from  every  clime.  I  had  no  sooner  arrived  in  Athens 
than  I  hastened  to  ascend  to  the  Acropolis,  which  is  five 
hundred  feet  above  sea-level.  Here  one  is  impressed  that 
giant  builders  once  held  sway ;  architects  whose  ideals 
were  copied  from  the  mammoth  builders  of  Thebes.  The 
Parthenon,  which  crowns  the  summit,  was  planned  by 
Pericles,  and  its  construction  was  superintended  by  Phi- 
dias, the  matchless  Grecian  sculptor,  who  was  imprisoned 


330  Around  the  World. 

for  having  advertised  himself  by  placing  his  own  like- 
ness upon  the  shield  of  the  goddess  Athena,  and  for  ap- 
propriating some  of  the  gold  provided  for  the  robe  of 
the  goddess.  The  statue  of  Athena  within  the  Parthenon 
was  seventeen  feet  in  height,  while  the  huge  statue  on 
the  outside,  between  the  Parthenon  and  the  Propylsea, 
towered  more  than  sixty  feet,  and  could  be  seen  for  miles 
at  sea.  The  pristine  beauty  of  the  colossal  buildings  that 
crown  the  Acropolis  has  departed  as  the  result  of  many 
a  siege.  Converted  into  a  powder  magazine  by  the 
Turks,  it  was  sadly  wrecked  by  the  explosion  of  a  bomb 
hurled  hither  by  the  Venetians  during  an  assault  in  1687. 
The  Acropolis  museum  is  well  worth  one's  attention  and 
backsheesh.  The  view  from  the  Acropolis  is  grand.  The 
sea,  though  eight  miles  away,  seems  scarcely  more  than 
a  stone's  throw  distant.  Mounts  Hymettus  and  Pentel- 
icus,  whence  came  the  rare  Pentelic  marble  used  by  Phid- 
ias, are  landmarks  from  which  the  locations  of  Salamis, 
Plataea,  Marathon,  etc.,  are  determined. 

Nestling  at  the  feet  of  the  rocky  height  are  other 
points  that  make  Athens  doubly  interesting.  Near  the 
entrauce  to  this  height  of  ancient  greatness  is  the  Areop- 
agus, usually  known  as  Mars'  Hill,  where  Paul  hurled 
at  the  Athenians  the  philippic  recorded  in  Acts  xvii, 
15-31.  Every  one  visits  the  Agora,  near  the  Tower  of 
the  Winds,  where  Paul  found  willing  hearers.  Sitting 
upon  a  terrace  is  the  Theseum,  or  Temple  of  Theseus, 
which  is  the  best  preserved  of  all  the  ancient  edifices  in 
Greece.  It  was  built  470  B.  C,  of  Pentelic  marble.  In 
front  of  this  splendid  building  is  a  colossal  statue  of  Vic- 
tory. The  Pnyx,  whose  platform  would  seat  eight  thou- 
sand people,  is  a  terrace,  semi-circular  in  form,  where 
Grecian  statesmen  informed  their  fellow-countrymen  on 
civic  subjects.     Upon  the  slopes  of  the  Acropolis  is  the 


Damascus  to  Athens. 


331 


Theater  of  Bacchus,  erected  under  the  rule  of  Lycurgus, 
and  seating-,  according  to  Plato,  thirty  thousand  persons. 
Resting  upon  the  marble  were  the  bronze  statues  of 
Sophocles,  yEschylus,  and  Euripides,  placed  there  upon 
the  order  of  Lycurgus.  Another  monument  to  the  credit 
of  Lycurgus  is  the  Stadium,  built  between  the  spurs  of 
Pentelicus  and  Hymettus,  for  the  purpose  of  affording 
seating  capacity  for  all  who  desired  to  witness  the  Pan- 
Hellenic  games.  The  Stadium  is  now  being  remodeled 
with  Pentelic  marble,  and  will  seat  sixty  thousand. 


XXIV 
ATHENS  TO  ROME. 

OVERLAND    TOUR    IN    GREECE — ATHENS    TO    CORINTH    AND 
PATRAS — CORFU    VISITED   EN    ROUTE   TO    ITALY — NAPLES 

AND     VESUVIUS — POMPEII,    THE    RUINED    CITY ROME, 

THE  ETERNAL  CITY. 

He  who  would  not  enjoy  Athens  must  be  dull  indeed ; 
but  duller  still  is  the  man  who  is  not  enthused  with  Rome, 
the  home  of  the  Csesars.  The  route  from  Athens  was 
across  Greece  by  train.  No  overland  journey  thus  far 
has  been  so  thrilling  as  the  trip  of  two  hundred  and 
twenty-two  miles,  Athens  to  Patras,  via  Elusis  and 
Corinth. 

Elensis  is  noteworthy  as  the  birthplace  of  /Eschylus, 
and  because  the  Thirty  Tyrants  took  refuge  there ;  but 
of  still  greater  interest  is  Corinth,  a  city  of  about  five 
thousand,  while  Athens,  the  capital,  boasts  of  more  than 
one  hundred  and  twenty-five  thousand.  During  my  stay 
in  Corinth  I  did  not  see  a  person  who  could  talk  Eng- 
lish. I  inferred  that  English-speaking  people  seldom 
come  to  Corinth,  from  the  fact  that  every  merchant  or 
carriage-driver  with  whom  I  desired  to  transact  busi- 
ness sent  messengers  abroad  through  the  city  to  find 
some  one  who  could  understand  my  speech.  Every  mes- 
senger returned  with  a  person  speaking  another  tongue, 
and,  after  many  trials,  each  gave  up  the  task,  shook  his 
head,  failing  as  an  interpreter.    Greece  is  not  on  the  main 

332 


Athens  to  Rome. 


333 


traveled  route  usually  taken  by  "globe-trotters,"  which 
accounts  for  the  difficulties  there  encountered.  Of  those 
who  see  Greece  at  all,  very  few  penetrate  beyond  Athens 
and  vicinity.  When  the  Peloponnesus  railway  reached 
no  farther  westward  than  Corinth,  that  little  city  was  a 
busy  center  of  commerce,  but  since  the  road  has  reached 
Patras  on  the  northwest  coast  of  Achaia,  few  ships  visit 
the  old  city,  and  Patras  profits  by  Corinth's  loss. 

I  was  surprised  to  note  that  rural  Greece  is  behind 
the  younger  nations  in  methods  of  work.  Women  were 
plowing-  with  oxen  and  using  old  sticks  for  plows,  as 
was  observed  in  India,  Syria,  and  Egypt.  Like  the  In- 
dians and  Egyptians,  the  women  carried  their  laundry  to 
a  pool,  seaside,  or  river,  and  pounded  or  slapped  the  gar- 
ments upon  rocks  instead  of  using  a  washboard  or  ma- 
chine. Riding  upon  a  fast  train,  we  were  hurried  through 
beautiful  valleys,  alongside  dashing  mountain  streams, 
and  beside  beautiful  placid  streams,  clear  as  crystal,  and 
through  vineyards  embracing  thousands  of  acres. 

At  Patras  were  found  many  whc  spoke  English.  One 
gentleman,  who  purported  to  be  a  guide,  said  to  me, 
"When  you  come  again,  let  me  know  a  few  weeks  ago, 
and  I  will  be  prepared  for  you."  At  Patras  I  boarded  the 
steamer  Bosnia,  of  the  Florio  Rubatinno  Line,  bound  for 
Brindisi,  Italy.  Upon  many  a  voyage  I  had  been  told 
that  a  person  should  always  avoid  taking  passage  upon 
any  Italian  ship.  Consequently  I  entered  the  ship  with 
great  concern  as  to  the  treatment  to  be  expected.  Know- 
ing that  I  would  be  out  only  two  nights  and  one  day,  I 
felt  that  I  could  stand  anything  that  length  of  time,  but 
was  surpised  to  find  that  my  surroundings  and  treat- 
ment were  all  that  any  one  could  ask. 

The  ship  anchored  in  the  harbor  at  Corfu  over  Sun- 
day, giving  us  an  opportunity  to  go  ashore  and  attend 


334  Around  the  World. 

divine  services  at  the  English  Church.  Corfu  is  cosmo- 
politan, having  as  a  populace  a  medley  of  French,  Span- 
ish, Italians,  Austrians,  Greeks,  English,  and  Syrians. 

Arriving  at  Brindisi  early  Monday  morning,  the  cus- 
toms officials  were  easily  passed,  and  train  taken  for  Na- 
ples, where  we  arrived  within  ten  hours,  the  distance 
from  Brindisi  being  two  hundred  and  forty-two  miles. 

As  volumes  would  be  required  to  do  justice  to  Naples 
and  Rome,  I  shall  limit  myself  to  the  presentation  of  a 
working  outline.  Naples,  with  a  population  of  five  hun- 
dred and  fifty  thousand,  is  known  far  and  wide  for  its 
beauty.  "See  Naples  and  die,"  is  a  saying  that  urges 
one  to  believe  that,  when  you  have  seen  Naples,  you 
have  seen  all  that  is  worth  seeing. 

After  visiting  the  cathedral  and  the  National  Museum, 
visitors  are  usually  ready  for  the  ascent  of  Vesuvius, 
which  stands  as  a  Titan  guarding  the  city,  the  smoke 
from  its  summit  being  visible  by  day,  and  the  light  paint- 
ing the  heavens  at  night.  On  my  arrival  in  Naples  I 
was  told  that  the  activity  of  the  monster  rendered  ascent 
too  dangerous  to  be  undertaken  at  present.  The  Funin- 
cular  road,  operated  by  Thos.  Cook  &  Son,  was  not  run- 
ning, consequently  I  contracted  with  a  guide  who  was 
to  conduct  me  to  the  very  summit  of  the  cone  or  forfeit 
the  price  stipulated.  We  ascended  through  ashes  that 
blocked  the  way  to  any  except  those  who  dared  to  crawl 
over  the  precipitous  slopes.  When  half  way  up  to  the 
smoking  summit  we  encountered  an  ocean  of  ashes  ap- 
parently only  recently  thrown  out.  In  reply  to  my  ques- 
tion as  to  when  this  train-load  of  ashes  was  deposited 
here,  he  replied,  "They  were  precipitated  here  only  two 
days  ago."  I  at  once  begged  him  to  return  with  me,  as 
we  were  compassed  on  all  sides  with  clouds  so  that  at 
times  we  could  not  see  each  other,  and  occasionally  the 


Athens  to  Rome. 


335 


poisonous  fumes  from  the  crater  settled  about  us.  He 
calmly  answered  my  petition  by  saying:  "You  do  not 
come  to  Vesuvius  every  day,  and  you  will  be  sorry  all 
your  life  if  you  do  not  go  to  the  top.  It  is  only  a  little 
distance  to  the  crater."  On  we  went,  passing  fissures 
where  the  molten  lava  had  once  poured  forth,  evidences 
of  many  a  wild  cataclysm.  After  paying  four  lire  (about 
eighty  cents)  for  the  privilege  of  seeing  the  "Cono  At- 
tivo,"  we  ascended  to  the  topmost  height,  only  to  be 
turned  back  at  once  by  a  sudden  explosion  from  the 
depths  below.  My  guide  said,  "Grab  my  arm,"  and 
down  we  went  with  all  speed,  sliding  through  deep  ashes 
at  times,  then  gliding  over  beds  of  lava,  being  at  all 
times  exceedingly  careful  lest  we  become  overbalanced 
and  go  tumbling  down  the  side  of  the  cone,  which  was 
almost  perpendicular  for  a  few  feet  here  and  there.  When 
about  one-third  of  the  way  down  we  passed  an  Italian 
official  who  was  ascending  to  learn  the  condition  of  the 
volcano.  The  newspapers  reported  that  he  encountered 
a  shower  of  ashes  and  rocks,  was  severely  bruised  and 
nearly  asphyxiated,  and  was  taken  to  the  Eden  Hotel 
in  a  semi-unconscious  condition.  The  gold  of  Wall 
Street  would  not  tempt  me  to  ascend  Vesuvius  again 
when  the  owners  of  the  Funincular  consider  the  ascent 
too  dangerous  to  operate  their  road  up  the  mountain  side. 
Pompeii  sits  in  a  valley  half  covered  with  ashes  and 
lava,  a  few  miles  from  the  smoking  mountain.  Vesuvius 
has  been  active  evidently  ever  since  time  was  young.  In  71 
II.  C.  Sparticus,  a  Roman  gladiator,  revolted,  and  made 
his  home  in  the  crater  of  the  then  quiet  smokestack.  The 
eruption  that  wiped  Pompeii  from  the  map  occurred  in 
79  A.  D.,  the  population  of  the  city  then  numbering 
thirty  thousand.  After  visiting  the  ruined  city,  viewing 
its  paintings,  sculpturing,  architecture,  etc.,  a  visit  to  the 


236  Around  the  World. 

museum  near  the  entrance  will  be  time  well  spent,  for  it 
it  filled  with  rare  curios  which  cause  the  city  of  two 
thousand  years  ago  to  live  in  the  present. 

Leaving  Naples,  but  not  forgetting  it,  we  proceed  to 
Rome  by  rail,  distant  one  hundred  and  sixty-two  miles. 
Traces  of  the  historic  Appian  Way  are  visible  all  the 
way  from  Brindisi  to  Naples  and  from  Naples  to  Rome. 

Nearly  all  are  surprised  to  find  such  splendid  train 
service  in  Italy,  and  many,  desiring  absolute  comfort, 
quickly  become  converts  to  the  excellencies  of  the  cor- 
ridor compartment  cars  in  general  use  throughout  Europe. 

Rome  has  five  hundred  thousand  people,  and  is 
bisected  by  the  river  Tiber.  I  shall  not  attempt  to  de- 
scribe Rome,  as  a  shelf  full  of  volumes  would  be  re- 
quired to  do  the  Eternal  City  justice.  No  one  would 
scarcely  think  of  leaving  Rome  without  visiting  the 
Forum,  which  is  situated  between  the  Capitoline  and  the 
Palatine  Hills,  and  contains  the  Temple  of  Julius  Caesar, 
of  Castor,  of  Saturn,  of  Vesta,  of  Romulus,  and  of  Ves- 
pasian, together  with  thirty-four  other  points  of  historic 
interest. 

Probably  of  greatest  interest  to  a  majority  of  people 
is  the  Colosseum,  pronounced  the  largest  building  ever 
erected  for  popular  performances.  It  was  commenced 
by  Vespasian,  dedicated  by  Titus,  and  completed  by 
Domitian.  After  taking  Jerusalem,  Titus  brought  to 
Rome  a  large  number  of  Jews  as  slaves,  and  set  them 
to  work  on  the  Colosseum,  and  at  the  dedicatory  services 
he  is  said  to  have  used  five  thousand  wild  beasts  and 
many  captives,  all  of  whom  were  slain  to  amuse  the 
spectators,  who  numbered  fifty  thousand.    Bede  wrote : 

"  While  stands  the  Colosseum,  Rome  shall  stand  ; 
When  falls  the  Colosseum,  Rome  shall  fall ; 
And  when  Rome  falls,  the  world." 


Athens  to  Rome. 


337 


Among  the  churches  in  Rome,  St.  Peter's  stands  first, 
as  well  as  first  in  size  in  all  the  world.  I  here  present 
the  figures  showing  the  length  of  the  world's  largest 
edifices  for  worship.  St.  Peter's,  Rome,  615  feet;  Milan 
Cathedral,  444  feet;  St.  Paul's,  London,  510  feet;  and 
St.  Sophia,  Constantinople,  354  feet.  I  ascended  to  the 
summit  of  the  tower  of  St.  Peter's,  an  elevation  of  448 
feet,  where  the  best  view  of  Rome  was  secured. 

The  Vatican,  the  home  of  the  pope,  is  alongside  the 
great  church,  and  is  said  to  contain  ten  thousand  rooms 
and  to  cover  thirteen  acres,  and  is  pronounced  the  "most 
imposing  palace  in  the  world."  The  Vatican  paintings, 
regarded  as  the  finest  collection  in  the  world,  attract  a 
constant  stream  of  humanity.  The  celebrated  masterpiece 
of  Michael  Angelo,  "The  Last  Judgment,"  is  behind  the 
altar  in  the  Sistine  Chapel  of  the  Vatican,  and  is  by  far 
the  most  popular  of  the  numerous  works  of  the  masters. 

A  visit  to  the  Pantheon  and  Catacombs  will  not  be 
overlooked  even  by  those  whose  time  is  limited. 

The  average  American  does  not  spend  more  than  a 
week  in  Rome,  which  is  ample  time  to  visit  the  points 
of  interest  herein  mentioned.  Some,  however,  hurry 
through  in  two  days,  getting  little  more  than  confused 
ideas. 


22 


XXV 
ROME  TO  LONDON. 

VIA  MILAN,  THE  LAKE  REGION,  ST.  GOTHARD,  AND  LUCERNE 
— SWITZERLAND  THE  BEAUTIFUL — FALLS  OF  THE 
RHINE  AT  SCHAFFHAUSEN — GERMANY  VISITED — ON  TO 
PARIS  AND   LONDON. 

Stop-over  privileges  on  through  tickets  are  all  that 
any  one  could  ask,  allowing  break  of  journey  anywhere. 

Milan,  a  city  of  four  hundred  and  fifty  thousand, 
with  its  world-famous  Duomo,  or  cathedral,  could  not 
be  passed  unvisited.  The  Duomo  is  pronounced  by  Mac- 
millan  "one  of  the  most  impressive  ecclesiastical  edifices 
in  the  world."  Built  of  white  marble,  crowned  with  one 
hundred  and  six  pinnacles  and  two  thousand  statues,  it 
will  accommodate  forty  thousand  people.  Eustice  says: 
"Inferior  only  to  St.  Peter's,  it  equals  in  length,  and  in' 
breadth  surpasses,  the  cathedral  at  Florence  and  St. 
Paul's  ;  in  the  interior  elevation  it  yields  to  both  ;  in  fret- 
work, carving,  and  statues,  it  goes  beyond  all  the  churches 
in  the  world,  St.  Peter's  itself  not  excepted." 

From  Milan  the  route  selected  led  northward  via 
Lakes  Como  and  Lugano,  two  crystal-like  jewels  that 
beautify  the  mountainous  landscape.  Hastening  north- 
ward, St.  Gothard  Tunnel,  nine  and  one-quarter  miles  in 
length,  is  threaded,  requiring  twenty  minutes.  Desiring 
to  protect  this  most  gigantic  piece  of  engineering  of  the 
century,  the  Swiss  have  erected  extensive  fortifications 

333 


Rome  to  London. 


339 


at  each  end,  protecting  a  hole  in  the  ground.  Almost 
as  interesting  as  St.  Gothard  itself  are  the  seven  spiral 
tunnels  traversed  on  this  route,  each  tunnel  about  one 
mile  in  length.  Near  Gurtnellen  is  the  last  spiral  tunnel, 
four  thousand  nine  hundred  feet  in  length.  The  train 
enters  below,  and,  with  two  shrieking,  puffing  engines, 
climbs  up  the  spiral  like  a  huge  fire-and-smoke-breath- 
ing  serpent,  and  emerges  from  the  mountain  one  hundred 
and  twenty  feet  above  the  entrance.  While  riding  the 
circuit  of  ascent,  passengers  amuse  themselves  watching 
the  compass  swing  entirely  around.  It  is  needless  to 
state  that  such  rich  and  unique  experiences,  together 
with  an  abundance  of  enchanting  mountain  scenery  when 
the  outside  world  is  reached,  preclude  the  possibility  of 
the  trip  through  Switzerland  being  rendered  dull  for  a 
single  moment. 

The  ticket  being  good  from  Fliielen  to  Lucerne,  by 
cither  rail  or  steamer,- 1  chose  the  steamer,  and  made  the 
journey  of  more  than  twenty  miles  surrounded  by  moun- 
tain scenery  presenting  an  ever-changing  panorama  as 
the  speeding  steamer  zigzagged  across  the  lake,  picking 
up  and  discharging  passengers  at  many  towns  nestling 
among  the  foothills  on  either  shore.  Kiissnacht  and  Im- 
mensee,  familiar  names  in  German  story,  were  passed  at 
a  distance,  and  Lucerne  was  reached  after  a  three-hours' 
journey.  Lucerne  has  a  population  of  about  thirty  thou- 
sand, and  is  called  the  "Tourist  Capital  of  Switzerland." 

After  visiting  the  "Lion"  designed  by  Thorwaldsen 
and  carved  out  of  the  living  rock,  many  ascend  the  Rigi, 
or  "hog-back,"  that  rises  between  Lakes  Lucerne,  Zug, 
and  Lowerz ;  but  I  viewed  it  from  a  distance,  and  sped  on 
in  a  few  hours  to  Bale,  a  city  of  one  hundred  and  twelve 
thousand,  situated  on  both  banks  of  the  Rhine,  the  pride 
of  all  Europe.     From  Bale  I  made  a  side-trip  of  fifty- 


34° 


Around  the  World. 


eight  miles,  via  the  Baden  Railroad,  to  the  Falls  of  the 
Rhine  at  Schaffhausen.  The  falls  are  three  hundred  and 
fifty  feet  wide  and  sixty  feet  high,  and  are  the  Niagara 
Falls  of  Europe.  Two  roads  are  operated  between  Bale 
and  the  Rhine  Falls,  one  being  on  the  Germany  side  and 
the  other  on  the  Switzerland  side.  I  booked  by  the 
southern  road  going  and  by  the  northern  returning,  the 
usual  custom. 

After  making  an  interesting  excursion  northward  into 
Germany  to  see  the  famous  Strassburg  clock,  I  again 
journeyed  westward,  arriving  in  Paris,  the  "gayest  city 
on  earth,"  where  the  poodle  dog  and  the  innocent  babe 
are  contending  in  an  apparently  unequal  contest  for  pre- 
cedence, and  where  fashion  holds  high  carnival  seven 
days  in  the  week. 

The  visitor  will  not  fail  to  tour  the  Champs  Elysees, 
the  Parisians'  most  popular  promenade  and  pleasure 
grounds,  situated  just  west  of  the"  Tuileries  and  Place 
de  la  Concorde.  Chairs  are  numerous  under  the  shade- 
trees,  and  apparently  free,  until  a  fair  damsel  appears 
from  the  direction  of  the  Arc  de  Triomphe  and  triumph- 
antly collects  ten  centimes  for  permission  to  continue  to 
occupy  till  she  considers  it  time  to  collect  again. 

Of  all  the  cash  expended  in  seeing  Paris,  none  is 
more  productive  of  results  than  the  four  francs  (80  cents) 
paid  for  ascending  the  Eiffel  Tower,  whose  height  is 
an  even  one  thousand  feet,  its  base  covering  four  acres. 
It  is  estimated  that  ten  thousand  persons  may  find  elbow 
room  upon  the  platforms  of  this  skyscraper  at  one  time, 
"without  occasioning  any  undue  crowding."  Ascending 
this  modern  Babel  is  absolutely  exciting,  bewildering, 
indescribable.  Twice  as  high  as  the  Washington  Monu- 
ment, its  summit  plays  with  the  clouds.  The  view  from 
that  dizzy  height  will  never  be  forgotten.     The   Seine 


Rome  to  London. 


341 


curves  from  the  foot  of  the  tower  through  the  great  city 
in  the  shape  of  a  crescent :  then  diminishes  on  either  side 
to  a  silvery  thread,  and  vanishes  in  the  distance.  Paris, 
the  City  of  Magnificent  Palaces,  draws  itself  up  around 
the  feet  of  the  giant,  permitting  the  vision  to  wander 
far  beyond  the  city's  apparently  shrunken  walls,  over  the 
diminutive  farms  and  villages,  to  a  horizon  that  makes 
no  apology  for  its  distant  position.  What  a  splendid 
opportunity  is  here  afforded  to  survey  the  city  and  locate 
its  chief  points  of  interest !  Just  across  the  Seine  to  the 
west  is  the  Trocadero  Palace,  with  its  graceful  crescent 
wings  reaching  out  as  if  to  embrace  the  artificial  lake  in 
front.  Directly  north  stands  the  Arc  de  Triomphe,  one 
hundred  and  fifty-eight  feet  in  height,  erected  by  Napo- 
leon commemorative  of  his  victories.  This  pile  cost 
9,000,000  francs  and  bears  the  names  of  three  hundred 
and  eighty-six  French  generals  who  were  associated  with 
Napoleon  in  thirty  victorious  battles.  East  of  the  Arc  de 
Triomphe  is  the  beautiful  Madeleine,  commenced  in  1764 
and  completed  in  1842,  at  a  cost  of  $3,000,000.  It  was 
built  as  a  Temple  of  Glory,  and  dedicated  to  soldiers  of 
the  Grand  Army,  but  in  1816  was  changed  to  church 
usages.  It  is  surrounded  with  fifty-two  Corinthian  col- 
umns, fifty  feet  high.  Near  the  Madeleine  is  the  Column 
de  Vendome,  one  hundred  and  thirty-five  feet  in  height, 
constructed  of  stone  and  covered  with  the  metal  of  one 
thousand  two  hundred  and  fifty  cannon  taken  by  Napo- 
leon from  the  Russians  and  Austrians.  South  of  the 
Vendome  is  a  beautiful  garden  called  Tuileries,  marking 
the  site  of  the  Royal  and  Imperial  Palace  from  1464  to 
1871,  when  it  was  destroyed  by  the  Communists.  Along- 
side the  Tuileries  is  the  Louvre,  consisting  of  galleries, 
containing  the  largest  and   best   collection   of  works  of 


342  Around  the  World. 

art  in  France.  North  of  the  Louvre  and  south  of  the 
Bourse  is  the  Palais-Royal,  second  only  to  the  Boule- 
vards as  a  promenade  ground.  East  of  the  Eiffel  Tower 
and  south  of  the  Seine  are  the  Luxembourg  Palace  and 
Galleries,  a  part  of  which  is  not  accessible  to  the  public, 
being  occupied  by  the  Senate.  Opposite  the  Luxem- 
bourg stands  the  Pantheon,  used  as  a  Temple  of  Glory, 
having  been  damaged  in  1871  by  Prussian  shells.  It 
contains  the  tombs  of  Voltaire,  Rousseau,  Hugo,  Presi- 
dent Carnot,  and  other  noted  Frenchmen. 

Northwest  of  the  Pantheon,  situated  upon  an  island 
in  the  Seine  is  the  Notre  Dame  Cathedral,  began  in  1160 
and  completed  in  the  thirteenth  century.  It  is  built  en- 
tirely on  piles,  and  is  two  hundred  and  forty-six  feet  in 
height.  In  1793,  during  the  Revolution,  it  was  converted 
into  a  Temple  of  Reason,  and  the  "presiding  goddess, 
the  wife  of  one  of  the  Communists,  rewarded  devout 
worshipers  with  a  kiss."  Here  Napoleon  I  and  the  Em- 
press Josephine  were  crowned  in  1804.  Its  pipe-organ 
is  said  to  be  the  finest  in  the  world,  having  six  thousand 
pipes  and  eighty-six  stops.  The  Communists  set  fire  to 
this  building  in  1871,  but  the  damage  has  been  repaired. 
Here  France  crowned  the  majority  of  her  kings.  Be- 
hind the  cathedral  is  the  Morgue,  where  I  saw  five  per- 
sons, men  and  women,  who  had  tired  of  life,  and,  having 
leaped  into  the  Seine,  had  been  fished  out  and  put  on 
exhibition  to  be  claimed  by  the  next  of  kin. 

But  let  us  bid  Paris  good-bye  and  hasten  northward 
to  the  world's  commercial  metropolis,  London.  Leaving 
Paris  at  8.40  A.  M.,  Boulogne  was  reached  at  n.59, 
and  Folkestone,  England  at  2  P.  M.,  after  a  very  tem- 
pestuous ride  across  the  English  Channel  that  reminded 
me,  in  a  slight  measure,  of  my  first  experience  on  the 


Rome  to  London. 


343 


Pacific  six  months  ago.  Of  that  entire  train-load  of 
passengers,  I  think  that  all  were  seasick  excepting  four 
of  us.  For  at  least  an  hour  of  the  crossing,  the  surging 
waters  rolled  over  the  rocking  side-wheeler,  making  it  a 
real  effort  for  us  four  "toughened  old  sailors"  to  keep 
entirely  settled  our  Parisian  breakfasts.  Since  the  con- 
ditions outside  would  permit  no  passengers  to  be  upon 
the  deck,  it  may  be  needless  to  remark  that  the  cabins' 
carpets  presented  a  sight  that  might  be  compared  favor- 
ably with  the  streets  of  Tiberias. 

The  first  sign  of  commercial  life  noticed,  as  we  ap- 
proached Britain's  shore,  was  a  large  sign  that  seemed 
to  rise  from  the  waves,  saying  in  large,  bold,  black  let- 
ters, "Eat  Quaker  Oats."  If  appearances  were  not  de- 
ceiving, I  am  confident  that  a  sign  "Never  Eat  Again," 
would  have  been  more  conducive  to  quiet  of  mind  and 
body  than  the  one  so  much  in  evidence.  Setting  foot 
upon  terra  firma,  train  was  taken,  and  Charing  Cross 
Station,  in  London,  reached  one  hour  and  forty-five  min- 
utes later,  where  conveyances,  decidedly  English,  were  in 
waiting  to  transfer  us  to  our  choice  of  hotels.  I  was 
soon  registered  at  the  New  Waverly,  well  located,  one 
block  from  the  British  Museum,  the  chief  object  of  in- 
terest drawing  me  to  London.  When  it  is  announced 
that  a  feline  lifetime  may  be  spent  profitably  in  the  Brit- 
ish Museum,  it  may  not  be  saying  too  much  to  remark 
that  the  most  hasty  tourist  should  spend  several  days  in 
seeing  London.  The  British  Museum  is  open  from  10 
A.  M.  to  4  P.  M.,  and  covers  seven  acres  of  ground ;  ad- 
mission free. 

I  attended  divine  services  in  Westminster  Abbey, 
noted  as  the  Coronation  Church  for  the  sovereigns  of 
England  and  as  the  "burial-place  of  her  most  illustrious 


344 


Around  the  World. 


dead."    Descriptive  of  Westminster,  Waller  penned  these 
lines: 

"  That  antique  pile  behold 

Where  royal  heads,  receive  the  sacred  gold ; 

It  gives  them  crowns,  and  does  their  ashes  keep ; 

There  made  like  gods,  like  mortals  there  they  sleep." 

Washington  Irving  wrote :  "On  entering,  we  feel 
that  we  are  surrounded  by  the  congregated  bones  of  the 
great  men  of  past  times,  who  have  filled  history  with 
their  deeds,  and  earth  with  their  renown."  In  the  Poets' 
Corner,  among  England's  greatest,  room  was  found  for 
the  bust  of  America's  favorite  poet,  Henry  W.  Long- 
fellow. Alongside  slabs  commemorative  of  Chaucer, 
Milton,  Addison,  Southey,  Coleridge,  Browning,  and 
Shakespeare,  American  genius  has  a  place  of  recognition. 

Of  more  interest  to  me  than  the  tomb  of  Mary  Queen 
of  Scots,  and  those  of  all  other  crowned  heads,  was  the 
Chapel  of  the  Pyx,  which  is  opened  by  seven  keys,  and 
only  by  special  permission  from  the  Secretary  of  the 
Treasury,  the  Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer,  and  the 
Comptroller  of  the  Exchequer.  This  chapel,  under  seven 
locks,  contained  the  ancient  treasury  of  the  kings  of  Eng- 
land, and  now  contains  the  standards  of  gold  and  silver 
which  are  used  every  year  for  testing  the  justness  of 
weight  in  the  coins  issued  from  the  British  mint. 

The  New  Palace  of  Westminster,  costing  $15,000,000 
to  construct,  containing  the  Houses  of  Parliament,  is 
more  imposing  than  the  ancient  Westminster  Abbey,  and 
stands  upon  the  Thames  embankment. 

Of  indescribable  interest  to  every  visitor  is  the  Tower 
of  London.  Here  I  saw  the  crown  jewels  that  had  been 
used  since  16 10.  The  crown  of  the  late  Queen  Victoria 
occupies  the  highest  position,  and  contains  2,783  dia- 
monds, 277  pearls,  5  rubies,  17  sapphires,  and  11  emer- 


Rome  to  London.  345 

aids.  Many  of  these  jewels  have  been  used  in  crowns 
made  for  coronations  since  the  time  of  Charles  II.  Re- 
galias used  by  the  Mary's,  the  Henry's,  and  the  Edwards's 
are  on  exhibition,  even  to  the  garter  with  its  motto,  "Honi 
soit  qui  mal  y  pense."  (Dishonored  be  he  who  thinks 
ill  of  it.) 

Among  the  most  noted  persons  who  suffered  impris- 
onment in  the  Tower  of  London  are  the  following: 
Queen  Anne  Boleyn,  second  wife  of  Henry  VIII ;  David 
Bruce,  king  of  Scotland;  Edward  V;  Queen  Elizabeth; 
Lady  Jane  Grey ;  Henry  VI ;  Queen  Katherine  Howard, 
a  wife  of  Henry  VIII ;  Sir  Thomas  More  ;  and  Sir  Walter 
Raleigh. 

Of  special  interest  in  the  Tower  are  the  specimens  of 
weapons  and  war-gear  used  by  British  soldiers  since 
"Knighthood  was  in  Flower." 

I  attended  a  service  in  St.  Paul's  Cathedral,  where 
cash  was  being  collected  preparatory  to  work  on  Easter 
decoration.  This  mammoth  pile  was  designed  by  Sir 
Christopher  Wren.  A  marble  slab  in  the  crypt  bears  the 
following  inscription :  "If  you  would  see  his  monument, 
look  about  you." 

The  parks,  galleries,  bridges,  and  other  points  that 
should  not  be  missed,  will  be  seen  by  the  traveler  en  route 
to  the  objects  of  greatest  interest  herein  set  forth.  Lon- 
don, the  world's  metropolis,  with  its  extremes  of  poverty 
and  opulence,  its  cosmopolitan  mixture  of  millions,  has 
stood  for  a  century  as  a  mighty  regulator  of  the  com- 
mercial pulse-beat  of  the  nations,  exchange  on  London 
being  in  demand  the  world  round.  But  the  time  is  not  far 
distant  when  the  course  of  commerce  and  the  marts  of 
trade  will  establish  the  commercial  center  of  the  world 
three  thousand  miles  westward  across  the  trackless  ocean. 


XXVI 

CROSSING  THE  ATLANTIC. 

LIVERPOOL  TO  NEW  YORK — ABOARD  THE  CEDRIC,  THE  LARG- 
EST   SHIP    AFLOAT — LIFE    AT    SEA. 

After  a  four  days'  sojourn  in  London,  the  largest 
city  on  earth,  I  was  ready  for  the  three-thousand-mile 
journey  across  the  Atlantic  Ocean.  Leaving  Euston  Sta- 
tion at  noon  on  Good  Friday,  April  ioth,  by  special  train, 
Liverpool  was  reached  at  3.30  o'clock,  where  the  mam- 
moth steamship  Cedric,  of  the  White  Star  Line,  the  larg- 
est steamship  ever  built,  was  waiting  for  her  London 
passengers.  The  train  halted  alongside  the  floating 
giant,  and  in  a  few  moments  we  were  on  board.  At  five 
o'clock  the  floating  city  with  its  twenty-five  hundred  pas- 
sengers was  loosed  from  her  moorings,  and,  by  the  help 
of  tugs,  was  pointed  towards  New  York.  Saturday 
morning  at  9  o'clock  Oueenstown,  Ireland,  was  reached, 
where  an  ordinary  shipload  of  additional  passengers  was 
taken,  and  in  two  hours  anchor  was  hoisted,  allowing  this 
overgrown  canoe  to  nose  her  way  out  of  the  narrows  into 

"  The  sea,  the  sea,  the  open  sea ! 
The  blue,  the  fresh,  the  ever  free ! 
Without  a  mark,  with  a  bound, 
It  runneth  the  earth's  wild  regions  round; 
It  plays  with  the  clouds,  it  mocks  the  skies ; 
Or  like  a  cradled  creature  lies." 

It  is  now  Friday.  A  week  has  slipped  away  since 
we  left  Liverpool,  and  New  York  is  not  yet  in  sight,  nor 

346 


Crossing  the  Atlantic.  347 

shall  we  see  its  suspension  bridge  till  to-morrow,  as  we 
have  taken  the  southern  course,  which  is  much  longer 
than  the  northern.  The  reason  for  this  extraordinary 
southern  sweep  is  due  to  our  having  met  the  Oceanic 
when  a  day  out  from  Queenstown,  from  which  vessel 
signals  were  received  informing  us  that  icebergs  were 
thick  and  dangerous  on  the  northern  route.  If  a  com- 
mander is  afraid  of  any  one  thing  it  is  an  iceberg.  I  am 
informed  that  one  of  those  cold  creatures  was  sighted 
from  this  ship.  I  did  not  see  it,  however,  as  I  am  not 
hunting  cold  sights  or  cold  people. 

A  few  words  about  this  house  in  which  I  have  lived 
the  past  week  may  be  valuable  news  to  those  who  have 
never  "gone  down  to  sea  in  ships."  The  Cedric  is  the 
largest  steamship  in  the  world,  having  been  built  by 
Messrs.  Harland  and  Wolf  at  Belfast,  Ireland,  a  country 
that  deserves  better  treatment  than  it  has  received  at 
the  hands  of  England.  And  let  me  state  right  here,  by 
the  way  of  parenthesis,  that  there  are  several  passengers 
from  the  heart  of  old  England  among  the  twenty-five 
hundred  on  this  ship  who  say  they  believe  England  is  on 
the  decline,  and  that  they  are  coming  to  what  they  con- 
sider the  foremost  country  of  the  earth,  America. 

Three  years  ago  the  Oceanic  was  the  largest,  but  she 
was  eclipsed  by  the  Celtic  about  a  year  ago,  which  is 
nearly  three  thousand  tons  larger  than  the  Oceanic. 
The  Cedric  surpasses  the  Celtic  and  rides  the  deep  as  the 
king  of  ships.  She  is  700  feet  long,  displaces  38,200  tons 
of  water,  can  carry  18,400  tons  of  freight,  and  comfort- 
ably carry  the  inhabitants  of  a  city  with  a  population  of 
3,350.  The  Cedric  cost  $2,500,000,  and  has  nine  decks 
for  passenger  accommodation.  What  think  you  of  living 
on  one  of  nine  flats,  one  above  the  other,  through  which 
four  huge  masts  and  two  mammoth  funnels  tower?    Add 


1 


48  Around  the  World. 


to  this  the  thought  that  each  village  is  electric-lighted, 
and  the  entire  layer  cake  is  bolted  or  riveted  together, 
and  set  down  like  a  duck  in  the  water,  and  commanded 
to  "sink  or  swim,  live  or  die,  survive  or  perish." 

I  had  supposed  that  no  one  would  become  seasick  on 
a  plank  of  this  size,  but  I  am  forced  to  chronicle  that 
several  have  been  confined  to  their  rooms  the  entire  trip, 
too  sick  for  appearance  in  the  dining-room.  True  to 
general  principles.  I  have  been  ready  for  that  which  the 
gong  announced  ever  since  the  second  day  out  from  Van- 
couver, thirty  thousand  miles  ago.  There  are  passengers 
on  board  for  nearly  every  State  in  the  Union,  and  some, 
not  a  few,  on  account  of  a  proposed  union,  are  going  from 
the  single  to  the  thrice-happy  married  state.  Some  of  the 
affianced  are  promenading  hand  in  hand  as  they  near 
the  promised  land,  while  others  have  their  faces  entirely 
hidden  under  one  fascinator  as  they  quietly  converse  each 
with  the  other,  relating  their  plans,  hopes,  and  aspirations 
on  beginning  life  side  by  side  in  a  new  land,  where  every 
man  is  king  and  every  woman  is  queen,  whether  the 
purse  contains  a  dollar  or  a  million ;  where  citizenship 
depends  not  upon  horses  and  lands,  but  upon  character, 
loyalty  and  obedience  to  law ;  where  every  person  is  per- 
mitted to  worship  God  according  to  the  dictates  of  his 
own  conscience.  Blessed  country !  Long  may  she  live 
to  attract  to  her  shores  the  best  sons  and  daughters  of 
earth ! 

"  Breathes  there  a  man  with  soul  so  dead 
Who  never  to  himself  hath  said, 

This  is  my  own,  my  native  land  ? 
Whose  heart  hath  ne'er  within  him  burned, 
As  home  his  footsteps  he  hath  turned, 

From  wandering  on  a  foreign  strand  ?" 

He  who,  as  an  American,  has  never  seen  the  world 
as  it  is,  has  no  conception  of  the  greatness  of  his  own 


Crossing  the  Atlantic.  340 

country.  Throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  earth 
America  is  referred  to  as  an  earthly  paradise,  and  he  who 
would  drive  a  dagger  into  the  throbbing  heart  of  such  a 
country  should  be  branded  as  an  international  criminal ; 
for  it  is  being  said  to-day,  "As  goes  America,  so  goes 
the  earth." 

My  closest  associate  on  this  journey  to  New  York 
is  the  editor  of  a  leading  paper  of  England  who  says : 
"England  is  dependent  in  a  great  measure  upon  America ; 
for  if  American  foods  were  shut  off,  England  would 
starve  in  only  a  few  weeks.  We  are  raising  less  wheat 
and  corn  because  we  can  not  compete  with  the  vast  acres 
of  America." 

Let  the  poet  speak : 

"  Up  aloft  amid  the  rigging  sings  the  fresh  exulting  gale, 
Strong  as  springtime  in  the  blossoms,  filling  out  each  blowing 

sail; 
And  the  wild  waves,  cleft  behind  us,  seem  to  murmur  as  they 

flow: 
There  are  kindl3r  hearts  that  wait  you  in  the  land  to  which  you  go. 
Rolling  home,  rolling  home,  rolling  home,  dear  land  to  thee, 
Rolling  home  from  merry  England,  rolling  home  across  the  sea." 

If  I  were  at  home,  and  my  loved  ones  were  out  alone 
upon  this  seemingly  endless  race,  so  fraught  with  dan- 
ger, I  would  feel  most  like  saying: 

"  O,  ye  beloved,  come  home — the  hour, 
The  hour  of  many  a  greeting  tone, 
The  time  of  heartlight  and  of  song, 
Returns,  and  ye  are  gone. 

And  darkly,  heavily  it  falls 

On  the  forsaken  room, 
Burdening  the  heart  with  tenderness 

That  deepens  'midst  the  gloom. 


350  Around  the  World. 

Still,  when  the  prayer  is  said, 

For  thee  kind  bosoms  yearn, 
For  thee  fond  tears  are  shed — 

O,  when  wilt  thou  return  ?" 

We  have  splendid  weather  for  the  Atlantic  vovage, 
only  one  day  being  sufficiently  rough  to  cause  the  navi- 
gating officer  to  enter  in  the  logbook  the  words  "heavy 
gale."  At  the  beginning  of  the  gale  this  floating  palace 
began  to  strike  a  sort  of  a  gallop,  whereupon  not  a  few 
showed  evidences  of  having  taken  an  emetic.  One  lady, 
while  standing  in  the  companion-way,  made  much  use  of 
her  kerchief  in  trying  to  stay  the  flood  tide  of  tears  which 
came  unbidden  in  spite  of  all  that  she  could  do  as  she 
looked  out  upon  the  bobbing  waves.  She,  no  doubt, 
thought  the  ship  would  soon  find  rest  upon  the  ocean 
floor  below,  and  that  she  would  then  sleep  with  the  other 
brave  hearts  that  never  reached  port.  That  gale  was  not 
even  interesting  to  me,  for  it  should  not  be  ranked  even 
as  a  little  dog  trotting  along  under  a  wagon  in  compari- 
son with  that  real  article  to  which  reference  was  made 
while  crossing  the  Pacific. 

Looking  out  upon  the  deep  for  a  sight  of  land,  land 
birds  are  now  seen,  indicating  that  we  shall  not  have 
long  to  wait.  Darkness  falls  about  us,  barring  the  pos- 
sibility of  landing  before  to-morrow.  But  look  yonder ! 
A  light  from  Fire  Island  pours  out  a  line  of  beams  which 
produce  rejoicing,  and  I  call  upon  the  poet  to  voice  our 
thought : 

"Speed,  speed,  my  fleet  vessel,  the  shore  is  in  sight, 
The  breezes  are  fair,  we  shall  anchor  to-night, 
To-morrow  at  sunrise  once  more  I  shall  stand 
On  the  sea-beaten  shore  of  my  dear  native  land." 

The  anchor  was  dropped  at  10.30  off  Sandy  Hook  to 
await  sunrise.     By   10  o'clock  on  the  morrow  we   had 


Crossing  the  Atlantic.  in 

landed  and  passed  the  customs  official.  One  lady  was 
fined  $200  for  trying  to  smuggle  lace.  She  will  not  try 
it  again.  A  gentleman,  desiring  to  bring  a  silk  dress  for 
his  wife  without  paying  the  duty,  wrapped  the  goods 
about  his  body  under  his  garments,  and  thus  evaded  com- 
plying with  the  law,  no  official  knowing  other  than  that 
his  corpulency  might  be  natural  and  not  artificial.  He 
may  be  overtaken  by  justice  at  the  bar  of  final  judgment 
by  being  made  to  wear  that  identical  dress  in  the  grand 
promenade  booked  by  the  eschatologist  as  sure  to  occur. 
Six  months  have  passed  since  I  have  seen  this  land 
of  liberty,  and  ten  years  have  registered  the  flight  of 
time  since  I  have  seen  this  Eastern  shore,  and  I  feel  most 
like  letting  the  poet  speak : 

"  I  'in  back  again  !  I  '111  back  again ! 
My  foot  is  on  the  shore  ; 
I  tread  the  bright  and  grassy  plain 
Of  my  native  home  once  more ! 

Hail,  native  clime  !  hail,  native  clime  ! 

Land  of  the  brave  and  free  ! 
Though  long  estranged  thy  exile  ranged, 

His  heart  comes  back  to  thee." 

And  now  I  turn  and  bid  adieu  to  the  highway  upon 
which  I  have  spent  many  interesting  as  well  as  exciting 
days. 

"  Mysterious  deep — farewell ! 
I  turn  from  thy  companship,  but  lo  ! 
Thy  voice  doth  follow  me.     'Mid  lonely  bower, 
Or  twilight  dream,  or  wakeful  couch,  I  hear 
That  solemn  and  reverberated  hymn 
From  thy  deep  organ  which  doth  speak  God's  praise 
In  thunder,  night  and  day.     Still  by  my  side, 
Even  as  a  dim-seen  spirit,  deign  to  walk, 
Prompter  of  holy  thought  and  type  of  Him, 
Sleepless,  immutable,  ommipotent." 


The  Author  has  given  his 

Around  the  World 
Lecture 

in  several  States,  illustrated  with 
one  hundred  and  sixty  stereop- 
ticon  views,  picturing  the  Globe 
Encircling  Tour. 


For  terms,  dates,  etc.,  address 
the  author. 


RARE  BOOK 
COLLECTION 


THE  LIBRARY  OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF 

NORTH  CAROLINA 

AT 

CHAPEL  HILL 

Travel 

G440 

.H8 


